times of oman - march 31, 2016
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Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. | Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certifi ed Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group
085010 1200106March 31, 2016 22 Jumada Al Thani 1437 AH
THURSDAY
33 40
MORNING MINUTE
FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTYTHE SULTAN
Over the years education has increased in quality and quantity. School and pupil numbers have increased many times over and there are several educational levels available. In addition to primary, preparatory, secondary and higher education, several streams and specialisations are also available to meet development needs.
‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’
On the occasion of the Graduation of the 1st group of students from the Sultan Qaboos University, 1990
Passengers ‘won’t pay’ new fee, vows Oman Air
REJIMON K [email protected]
MUSCAT: Oman Air has vowed not to pass the cost of a new fee, introduced by authorities ‘with-out formal consultation’ it says, on to passengers.
Oman’s Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) announced it was increasing its air traffi c fee from April 1 in a move to boost
authority’s revenue by more than 25 per cent.
The authority’s chief execu-tive offi cer Mohammed Al Zaabi tweeted the same on his offi cial twitter handle last week, but the move has not been welcomed in all corners of the aviation indus-try, coming on the heels of a recent hike in the airport departure tax.
However, Oman Air has told passengers it will shoulder the
burden of the new cost not them.“The national carrier will not
pass this fee rise to the passengers due to the competitive pricing in the region by other Gulf carriers. And due to the commitment to stimulate travel to Oman, Oman Air will not off -set these imposed increases by adjusting the fares upwards,” the spokesperson told Times of Oman.
“Any increase from the Authori-
ties applies automatically and fully for the national carrier. No exemptions are made for the na-tional airline,” he said.
“Oman Air respects the in-creases and will comply accord-ingly, even though such increases, which are imposed without for-mal consultation, could aff ect development of the logistic indus-try,” the Oman Air spokesperson further added. >A6
National carrier has
assured passengers
that it will not off -set
air traffi c fee hike by
increasing fares
A6Strong response at Big Show event
Oman weighs new grade of petrolREJIMON KFAHAD/AL [email protected]@timesofoman.com
MUSCAT: One of the largest oil companies in Oman is considering introducing a new grade of Octane petrol in the market, which will fall between regular and super at the
pumps. “We are currently study-ing the possibility of introducing the M92 fuel in Oman. We see a de-mand for it in the market,” Hilal Al Hinai, general manager of Orpic, a government-owned oil company in Oman, said.
The M92 fuel will have the qual-ity and price that is between the present M90 (regular) and M95
(super grade). On Tuesday, Ahmed Al Haddabi, vice-chairman of the Shura economic panel, also con-fi rmed that Orpic is evaluating the introduction of M92 fuel in Oman.
“Most of the vehicles in Oman require M92. However, as it’s not available, motorists go for M95 and some compromise with M90,” Orpic’s Al Hinai said. >A6
M 9 2 F U E L
Move initiated to question minister over major accident
FAHAD AL GHADANIREJIMON [email protected]@timesofoman.com
MUSCAT: A horrifi c crash, which claimed 18 lives, has led the Majlis Al Shura to initiate a move to question the Minister of Transport and Communications on traffi c safety concerns on the Ibri-Fahud road, the Shura mem-ber from Ibri has said.
The accident on the morning of March 1 happened as a bus go-ing to Dubai from Salalah and a truck going to Salalah from Dubai crashed into each other.
“Following the accident, a meeting was held with the minis-ter. Now, we have initiated a move to question him. Shura has ap-proved the move.
“It will be conveyed to the min-istry soon,” Shaham Al Shahoomi, the Shura member from Ibri, told Times of Oman.
In a response to the accident, Majlis Al Shura had held a meet-ing with the ministry to address
the issue and a team was formed to study the issues relating to the road and come out with a report to fi nd quick solutions.
The suggestions from Shura members included better mainte-nance of the road, proper lighting arrangements and earmarking a wider area for shoulders along the 214-kilometre road.
Using Fahud-Ibri road saves almost 56km and around 30 min-
utes for time for motorists trav-elling between Ibri and Dhofar. This encourages people to avoid the Adam-Nizwa-Thumrait road.
Shaukat Hassan, the driver of ill-fated bus – one of the vehicles involved in the accident – says he is struggling to survive both phys-ically and fi nancially.
“I am literally stranded. With paralysed right hand, the day to day life has become a big hurdle. There is no money to buy food also,” Shaukat, who is the sole bread-winner of his four-member family, told Times of Oman.
“I have been advised by medic to take rest for one month. That accident was a big blow to me and my family,” Shaukat added, while claiming he has not been contact-ed for compensation so far.
“I have to visit hospital fre-quently. We are staying in a rent-ed fl at. My children are studying. I am not fi t to go for a job at this stage. Finding money to pay for taxi to visit hospital too has be-come a big challenge now,” Shau-kat further said. >A6
I B R I - F A H U D R O A D A C C I D E N T
ON SPOT INSPECTION: The accident site on the morning of March 1. – Times fi le picture
Shaukat Hassan. – Times fi le picture
OMANInfiltrator killed
1An infi ltrator was killed in accident when the vehicle overturned near Buraimi. >A3
REGIONEgyptAir hijacker
2Egypt has asked Cyprus to hand over the hijacker of its passenger plane. >A8
BUSINESSOminvest signs deal
3Ominvest and partners sign deal to buy Oman Arab Bank arm. >B1
T O P T H R E E I N S I D E S T O R I E S
Final horse race of season
BARKA: Delegated by His Maj-esty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, His Highness Sayyid Harib bin Thuwaini Al Said will patronise on Saturday over the fi nal race of the local horse racing season 2015-2016.
The race will be organised by the Royal Horse Racing Club at Al Rahba Racecourse in the Wilayat of Barka. >A5
O N S A T U R D A Y
A2 T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
OMAN
Survey to focus on labour needs of private sector
DEEBA [email protected]
MUSCAT: Ministry of Higher Ed-ucation (MoHE) has started work-ing on an employer’s survey, which will help the graduates in Oman to become more employable, and help private sector companies in fi nding the right candidates, ac-cording to a top offi cial at the min-istry.
After conducting the graduate survey last year, which indicated that 66.6 per cent of the gradu-ates are employed by government organisations, 33 per cent started work with the private sector and 0.4 per cent of them started their own businesses, the ministry has now shifted its focus to the private sector companies to fi nd out the needs of the labour market.
The graduate survey was open to students of all nationalities studying in both government and private institutions in the Sultan-ate. Besides this, it also targeted Omani graduates from universi-ties abroad.
Due to the low percentage of graduates joining the private sec-tor, it was important for the minis-try to focus on the sector to fi nd out
the factors for low employability levels of graduates, said Fatma Al Hajri, director general of MoHE’s Graduate Survey Department.
“We are targeting 4,000 big pri-vate fi rms, which have the abil-ity to hire our graduates, the cri-teria was to go for fi rms that are classifi ed by the Ministry of Man-power from the fi rst to the consul-tancy level.”
Initial indicators from last year’s graduate survey also ad-dressed a number of other issues, such as evaluating the quality of higher education institutions, mode of study and services, transi-tion between universities and the workplace.
“Our ultimate goal is to try and create a smooth link between the graduates and the labour market. We try to understand the needs to the labour market, qualifi cations and specialisations that they need from the graduates, we also fi gure out if there are any courses that we are not off ering, the skills that our graduates are lacking and related things,” Al Hajri stated.
FactorsThe employee survey, which is tar-geted at human resources manag-ers and chief executive offi cers, will also address the factors that private sector companies take into account while looking for suit-able employees. “Is it the grade point averages (GPAs), or other accomplishments, or training and activities that the companies are looking for?”
Currently, the survey is in the initial stage and is expected to get over by the end of April, after which it will be analysed and re-sults will be announced.
“We will use the survey results to enhance planning in higher education, and the results will be shared with entities that plan the higher education process, institu-tions, graduates, supreme council of planning. Sometimes we go to schools and try to raise awareness about the most employed majors,” she said.
Once the survey is over, recom-mendations and indications will be given to the ministry about what is happening the labour market.
Results of the
Ministry of Higher
Education employer
survey will be used
to enhance planning
in higher education
Our ultimate goal is to try and create a smooth link between the graduates and the labour market
Fatma Al Hajri, director general of MoHE’s Graduate Survey Department
We try to understand
the needs to the labour
market, qualifications
and specialisations
that they need from
the graduates
Fatma Al Hajridirector general of MoHE’s Graduate Survey Department
A3
OMANT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
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Petrol, diesel prices talk of town as April 1 hike date draws closeNew fuel prices are going to come into eff ect from April 1 (Friday). Accord-ing to the new prices communicated to fuel companies in Oman by the ministry, petrol and diesel are to cost more than what they used to cost in March. The revised price of regular petrol (M90) will be 145 baisas per litre, super graded (M95) 158 baisas and diesel 163 baisas, as per the communica-tion sent by the min-istry. Times of Oman asked a number of motorists what they think of this step and how it aff ects their budget. While some said that it will not af-fect them at all, others said that they it will hit them badly. Text Eric Prins, Pictures OK Mohammed Ali
P E O P L E
Ajay K.V., 45, from India, said that, although it aff ects him personally, due to a higher fuel bill as well as higher commod-ity prices, he does not see any problem in a further increase in fuel prices. “It will aff ect me personally as well, but we have to live by it,” he said.
Ahmed Al Mahrooqi, 23, an instrument engineer from Oman, said he is not much aff ected by increased petrol prices, but hopes this will be the last hike. “It does not aff ect me much, because it does not change so much. The increase is little and I think it’s OK right now. But I hope it will not increase anymore, because the income of Omani people is limited and many go to their hometowns in the weekend.”
Mohammed Khairy, a 27-year-old sales promoter, said he plans to buy a smaller car due to the hike in petrol prices. “My income will be less, but I also need to save money. I now have a 6-cylinder car, but now I will change it to a smaller 4-cilinder car.”
Ahmad Al Zadjali, 48, from Oman and a PR director, said he is not much aff ected. “The increase is very little, so I don’t feel very much aff ected. I think the prices are now fi tting.”
Syed Abdul Majid, from India, responding to the news that there are no plans to cap fuel prices even if oil prices recover, said that petrol prices will have to go down, once the oil prices recover. “It aff ects my daily expenses a little bit. But the common man is suff ering from the [ hike in] petrol prices. Once the oil prices will go up, they should reduce the fuel prices as well.”
Hari Menon, executive secretary from India, said that the hike in petrol prices creates a chain reaction, leading to higher commodity prices as well as increasing transport and trucking costs. “Indirectly, everything is aff ected. School bus charges will also go up, which will aff ect us. It aff ects the business as well.”
Daniel Oliver, 34, from India and working as technical engi-neer, said that ultimately, there is no choice but to increase pet-rol prices. “There is no choice left for the government. It’s increasing everywhere, in the UAE for example. Me person-ally, I’m setting aside twenty percent more for more my personal travels. I have to cut costs in some way and spend it on petrol. If I have to work here, then I have to fi nd my way to live on a budget.”
Jacob Palamootil, 43 and a training manager from India, said that he will need to fi nd more money to support his fam-ily.[909] “It aff ects everyone. Fuel prices going up is not a good sign. Defi nitely infl ation will go up, which will impact the economy and the lives of normal people. When fuel prices go up, I need to fi nd more money to support my family or to buy my daily bread.”
Khamis Al Busafi , 30, taxi driver, said he is not happy with the new petrol prices. He said that taxi drivers are aff ected the most, since they drive all day, whereas many others only drive from offi ce to their homes. “It is not fi tting. Omanis have limited income. My monthly fuel bill is rising and that aff ects our prices. This makes it diffi cult to get passengers. Many cus-tomers ask us why our prices have increased. We tell them again that our petrol costs has increased.”
Ligesh T., a manager from India, said that life will be “tougher” keeping in mind the eff ect of the hike in petrol prices on the prices of other products and services. “It will defi nitely increase the price of all items and other costs. Life will be tougher.”
Said Al Mahrooqi, from Oman and working as a super-visor in the oil industry, said that life has become expensive. “It’s very expensive. Everything is going up. Taxis for example, are very expensive. When you ask them why, they say it is because of the higher petrol prices. It is the same with shops.”He said that people with bigger cars will be aff ected the most. “Anyone with a 6- or 8-cylinder car, will have a problem, but 4-cylinder is not a problem.”
2016 FUEL PRICESAll grades of fuel will be costlierfrom April 1. In baisas per liter
Source: Times of Oman Graphics
Jan15
Feb1
Mar1
Apr1
160
150
140
146
120
114
130
BeforeJan15
160
146
137
145
130
158
145
163
153
146
140
SUPERDIESEL
REGULAR
Haj application date
TARIQ ZIAD AL [email protected]
MUSCAT: Omani pilgrims in-tending to travel to Haj can regis-ter their application at www.hajj.om from April 10 till 24, the Min-istry of Endowment and Religious Aff airs said in a statement.
“Registration can be done in three ways, either by manually entering the civil identifi cation number, scanning the ID by using a
card reader which uses the PKI en-cryption system or by entering the mobile phone number which uses PKI encryption for identifi cation,” said the statement.
People will also be able to regis-ter through Sanad offi ce and De-partments of Endowment and Re-ligious Aff airs in all Governorates.
Male must register fi rst, fol-lowed by females to ensure the availability of their chosen guard-ian in the system. The responsible authority will accept the registra-tion through ID numbers given that the card is active for a mini-mum of 10 months and the pass-port is active for a minimum of 10 months as well.
“Haj performers must be at least 18 years of age and must provide all the documents necessary for the
Haj when the ministry asks for it,” said the statement.
“Registering for the holy pil-grimage doesn’t guarantee a spot for everyone as the ministry needs to approve priorities and give an opportunity to those who have not performed the Haj before. The ministry will directly and offi cially contact the persons involved in ei-ther cases,” the statement added.
The ministry will take a limited number of people to Mecca for the Haj according to the quota fi xed by Saudi Arabian authorities for Oman. Those who have been given a place to travel to Mecca will be notifi ed by text messages. “The ministry reserves the right to deny any applicant who does not provide the correct information during reg-istration,” said the statement.
Pilgrims can register
online from April 10
Pact signed with UK fi rm at Duqm port
MUSCAT: Yahya bin Said Al Jabri, Board Chairman of the Special Economic Zone Au-thority at Duqm (Sezad) on Wednesday received Michael Fallon, Secretary of State for Defence in the UK and his ac-companying delegation, cur-rently visiting the Sultanate.
On the sidelines of the meet-ing, a memorandum of under-standing (MoU) was signed between Oman DryDock Com-pany (ODC) and Babcock Inter-national Group. It aims at pro-viding expertise and technical support in maintaining vessels and military fl eets.
The two sides reviewed the bilateral relations between the Sultanate and UK, and issues of mutual interest for the two friendly countries. In addition, the two sides also discussed the role that could be played by such cordial visits in promoting the collaboration between the two countries. — ONA
B I L A T E R A L T R A D E
A4 T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
OMAN
Shaheen Air to launch flights from Muscat to Islamabad on April 5
SHAHZAD [email protected]
MUSCAT: Pakistani expatriates in Oman, a large community, will have more options to fl y to the country’s capital as Shaheen Air International launches its maiden weekly fl ight to Islamabad from Tuesday, April 5.
“Shaheen Air is looking to ex-pand its operations in Oman as part of its growth strategy outlined for the Sultanate,” said Huzaifa Halai, manager, Oman, Shaheen Air. The airline is likely to start a weekly fl ight to Karachi in the near future.
Having started its operations in 1993 as the fi rst private airline in Pakistan, Shaheen Air currently operates fl ights to more than 12 in-
ternational destinations.The fl ight NL778 will leave Is-
lamabad every Monday at 12.30 pm and arrive in Muscat at 14.45 pm, while it will depart from Mus-cat every Tuesday at 7 am and arrive at Islamabad at 10.45 am, making it very convenient for pas-
sengers who need to travel by road to the interior cities.
“There is an overwhelming de-mand for travel between Oman and Pakistan due to the existence of strong relations between the two countries. The maiden fl ight to Islamabad from Muscat will
mark a signifi cant milestone for enhancing such ties and also ben-efi t the Pakistani diaspora residing in Oman,” said Halai.
“Expanding operations on the Oman-Pakistan route is in line with Shaheen Air’s growth strat-egy outlined for Oman,” he added.
The airline will be the fi rst to op-erate an Airbus A330-200 aircraft on this route. With the launch of the new fl ight, Shaheen Air will have a total of six fl ights weekly between Muscat and Pakistan. This includes tri-weekly fl ights to Lahore, and one weekly fl ight to Sialkot and Pe-shawar, respectively.
Shaheen Air also launched ser-vices on the Islamabad-Manches-ter route recently and has further plans to expand its wings to a new destination soon. The airline has also upgraded its equipment on the Muscat-Lahore route to an A330-200 for every Monday departures, Huzaifa further elaborated.
National Travel & Tourism is the General Sales Agent of Shaheen Air in Oman and its offi ce is located in Wattayah.
The maiden fl ight
to Islamabad from
Muscat will mark a
signifi cant milestone
for enhancing
such ties and also
benefi t the Pakistani
diaspora residing
in Oman
The flight NL778 will leave Islamabad
every Monday at 12.30 pm and arrive in
Muscat at 14.45 pm, while it will depart
from Muscat every Tuesday at 7 am and
arrive at Islamabad at 10.45 am
Ithraa receives
delegation
from Brunei
MUSCAT: Dr Salim bin Nasser Al Ismaili, Chairman of the Public Authority for In-vestment Promotion and Ex-port Development (Ithraa) on Wednesday received Dato Lim Jock Seng, Second Minister of Foreign Aff airs and Trade in Brunei Darussalam within the framework of his current visit to attend the 16th consultative meeting between the Sultanate and Brunei Darussalam.
The two sides reviewed the bilateral relations in economic and investment areas. They also discussed means of developing such relations during the up-coming stage within the eff orts being exerted by Ithraa in at-tracting investment and devel-oping Omani non-oil exports.
Dr Al Ismaili highlighted Ithraa role as part of its endeav-ors in enriching the economy through diversifying sources of income, improving the state trade balance and fi nding new markets for the Omani non-oil exports, in addition to alluring foreign investments and setting up projects to serve Oman, thus contributing in fi nding new job opportunities. Brunei Darus-salam is considered an emerg-ing market that enjoys many op-portunities that can be utilised.
The guest expressed his pride and that of his accompanying delegation over this visit due to its positive outcomes. — ONA
T R A D E P R O M O T I O N
Infi ltrators’ vehicle overturns, 1 killed Times News Service
BURAIMI: A vehicle transport-ing infi ltrators from Wilayat Suwaiq to Wilayat Buraimi over-turned, resulted in the death of one infi ltrator and injuries for the rest.
An Omani national was arrest-ed after fl eeing the scene of the accident near a farm while the injured were sent to the nearest hospital for medical treatment.
According to a senior offi cial with the North Al Batinah Royal Oman Police, investigators had received reports that an expa-triate was coordinating with an Omani for transporting the in-fi ltrators, who arrived by sea in North Al Batina, to Buraimi.
Offi cers monitored the Omani driver as he met with the infi l-trators and tried transporting them hastily, which had led to the accident.
Offi cers also found one infi ltra-tor in possession of hashish.
Drug dealers arrestedAn African national was arrested by the Directorate of Narcot-ics Control for possession, ped-dling and abuse of narcotics in Wilayat Seeb.
Fifty nine capsules of mor-phine weighing 685 grams were seized from the suspect.
Similarly, in South Al Batinah, an Asian national was arrested for possession, peddling and abuse of narcotics in the Wilayat
Barka. He was in possession of 28,000 capsules of a psychotrop-ic substance.
Three arrested for robberyThe Directorate General of In-quiry and Investigations has arrested three Omani citizens for robbery in Wilayat Suwaiq, said a senior offi cial at the Royal Oman Police.
The offi cial said the suspects would off er victims a ride to their destination only to divert from the route to a location obscured from public view before abus-ing and harming the victims, as well as stealing their money and phones, after which the accused would leave them at the scene of the crime and fl ee.
One of the suspects confessed to stealing eight car tires from a tire shop.
Upon investigation, offi cers found that the tires used on cars for criminal operations matched those reported missing.
The three suspects have been referred to the public prosecution to continue procedures against them and present them in court.
C R I M E
Royal Oman Police officers
also found that one of
the infiltrators was in
possession of hashish
Panel discusses anti-money laundering lawTimes News Service
MUSCAT: A Majlis Al Shura pan-el discussed the draft anti-money laundering law yesterday.
The draft law on anti-money laundering and combating terror-ism funding has been referred to the Legal Committee of the Majlis Al Shura has been holding discus-
sions on referred to it by the Coun-cil of Ministers. During the meet-ing, the draft law was discussed with a number of specialists from the National Commission for An-ti-Money Laundering and Com-bating Finance of Terrorism.
The specialists included His Highness Sayyid Murwan bin Turki Al Said, Chairman of the
National Commission for Anti- Money Laundering and Combat-ing Finance of Terrorism; Sheikh Khamis bin Salim Al Khalili assis-tant public prosecutor and mem-ber of the technical committee and Sheikh Sultan bin Mattar Al Azizi member of technical committee.
Dr. Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Zedjali, Chairman of the Le-
gal Committee of Majlis Al Shura chaired the meeting. A team was formed to review all the laws relat-ed to this law. The members of the Legal Committee of the Majlis Al Shura were briefed by the guests on the draft law which is expected to be discussed during the meet-ings of the Majlis Al Shura during the fi rst week of April.
M A J L I S A L S H U R A
Opportunities in Oman showcasedMOBIN MATHEW [email protected]
MUSCAT: A seminar for Indian companies was organised by the Indian Embassy in the Sultanate on Wednesday, showcasing op-portunities in diff erent sectors in Oman.
The seminar was held under the patronage of Said bin Saleh Al Kiyumi, chairman of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Indus-try. According to the Indian Am-bassador to the Sultanate, India and Oman have signifi cant busi-ness potentials.
“The Embassy is making eff orts to direct investments in Oman and India because we believe there is a huge potential that is untapped be-tween these countries,” Indian Am-bassador Indiramani Pandey said.
“Both countries have very good relations and our political rela-tionship is exceptional, which we describe as a strategic partner-
ship,” he added. According to Pan-dey, Oman’s and India’s coopera-tion in various areas are doing well and the relation is growing.
The Ambassador also off ered Omani companies assistance, noting that the Embassy will help
them as they seek to conduct busi-ness in India. “We are here to guide you regarding the infrastructure that you need for your invest-ment,” he asserted.
He also asked companies to keep in touch with the Omani market
and explore the possibilities it of-fers. He also thanked Indian com-panies for accepting the invitation of the Embassy to participate in the B2B meeting on Wednesday.
Expertise sharedExperts from diff erent sectors, including the food industry, infor-mation technology, and construc-tion and infrastructure, shared their expertise during a Power-point presentation about the Om-ani market. Also, Ranjit Edward from the Al Hajiry group discussed his experience in the information, communication and technology fi elds in Oman. Additionally, Salim Al Abdali, Business Development Manager of Oman Food Invest-ment Holding Co,reviewed invest-ment opportunities in Oman.
Further, C.R Lakshman, CFO of Larsen and Tourbo Oman LLC,outlined the opportunities and scope of the construction and infrastructure fi elds in Oman.
E V E N T
SHARING INFORMATION: The seminar was held under the patron-
age of Said bin Saleh Al Kiyumi, chairman of the Oman Chamber of
Commerce and Industry. – OK Mohammed Ali
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OMANT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
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Oman tops in global ranking
MUSCAT: Oman, repre-sented by the Health Services, achieved a global recognition from the World Health Organi-sation (WHO) after passing the comprehensive evaluation of vaccine management by 99 per cent and getting the fi rst posi-tion at the world level.
It is noteworthy that the glob-al assessment was conducted in more than 90 countries.
The Sultanate achieved 99 per cent in all evaluation criteria. — ONA
V A C C I N E M A N A G E M E N T
Final horse race of season
The race will include fi ve rounds. Four rounds will be al-located for pure Arabian horses and one round for thorough-bred horses. The Royal Horse Racing Club will also organise horse race on Friday at Al Rahba Racecourse with participation of as more as 140 horses.
The race will include nine rounds as three rounds will be allocated for thoroughbred horses and six rounds for pure Arabian horses. — ONA
A L R A H B A R A C E C O U R S E
< FROM
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OMANT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
The exhibition has maintained a 15 per cent growth in terms of exhibitor participation and sold exhibition space
Ahmed Sayed, exhibition manager of OmanExpo
‘There is a need for M92 fuel’
The National Centre for Statis-tics and Information’s Febru-ary data on fuel consumption at retail outlets in Oman showed that while 1.9 million barrels of M95 were sold, only 640,000 barrels of M90 fuel were sold.
Meanwhile, a Shura member said the introduction of M92 will bring in more money for the government.
“Having a mid-range petrol that is pricier than the regular one will bring in more money for the government,” Tawfi q Al Lawati, a Shura member, said while expecting that the fuel stations will do away with one type and keep only two.
“We doubt that at present the fuel stations have the infra-structure to provide three types of fuel,” Al Lawati added.
A fuel station offi cial said that he had witnessed a slump in super grade petrol sales and an increase in regular grade purchases.
“At one of the stations, we used to sell 45,000 litres of su-per graded fuel per day. It has come down to 38,000. And in the case of regular, we used to sell only 2,000 per day earlier. It has gone up to 4,000. Peo-ple don’t know much about the grade eff ect on engines. They go for regular only to save money,” an offi cial from Siraj Al Jazeera, which runs fuel stations for two big oil companies in Oman, said.
Saud Salmi, a petroleum en-gineer at Petrol Development Oman, said there is a need for M92 in market.
“I have noticed that there is a need for M92 in the market as some vehicles require the same. As it is not available they are compelled to go for other two,” the petroleum engineer said.
Meanwhile, Jaison Mathai, a senior offi cial in the automo-bile industry in Oman, said that while all fuels contain cleaning additives, those with high oc-tane levels contain more or bet-ter detergents to keep the injec-tors clean.
“In addition, fuels with high-er ratings are a few percentage points denser, which allows slightly more power per litre in the vehicle,” Mathai said, add-ing that engine experts are of the view that using a low octane fuel when your car requires a higher version is just as damag-ing and will lead to an abnormal combustion of the air-fuel mix-ture in the cylinder.
Citing a circular from the Ministry of Oil and Gas, an of-fi cial from one of the petrol and diesel distribution companies, said in April, the revised regu-lar petrol (M90) will cost 145 baisas per litre, super graded (M95) 158 baisas and diesel will cost 163 baisas.
In the United Arab Emirates, three types of petrol (M91, M95 and M98) are available.
O C T A N E P E T R O LOman’s The Big Show event gets huge response visitors
MOBIN MATHEW [email protected]
Muscat: The Big Show, Oman’s biggest exhibition for building, construction and interior design, is an enormous success, organis-ers have confi rmed.
“The current edition of Oman’s biggest exhibition in the construc-tion sector is a huge success,” Ahmed Sayed, exhibition man-ager of OmanExpo told the Times of Oman (TOO).
“We are getting a good response from the exhibitors, as well as the visitors,” he added.
According to the organisers, they had received a record-break-ing 15,000 visitors during the 2015 edition and expect this number to be surpassed this year.
“The exhibition has maintained a 15 per cent growth in terms of exhibitor participation and sold exhibition space,” Sayed said.
“We have around 250 local and
international companies repre-senting many countries and we have international pavilions from Germany, Turkey, Italy, India, Iran, Egypt and Kuwait,” he added.
New and innovative products and technology from the ceramic and marble, doors and windows, kitchen and bathroom, interior design, HVAC, water technolo-gies, pools and spa, construc-tion tools and equipment, steel, concrete and cement, and wood and woodworking machinery segment, are the features of the exhibition.
“We have added a couple of good features to this year’s exhibi-tion, such as outdoor displays and we have tried to bring new prod-ucts and technologies in the sec-tor to the Omani market,” Sayed continued.
More featuresHe also pointed out that the or-ganisers plan to add more features to the exhibition when they move to the new convention centre.
“When we move to the other convention centre in the coming editions, we would like to develop some more fi elds, such as interior decoration and some other area as well,” Sayed said.
According to him, the exhibi-tion is currently attracting two types of visitors.
“We have two groups of visitors coming to the exhibition, such as B2B people, who are coming to do business here and the other is the common man, who just wants to see the new products and new trends in the sector,” Sayed noted.
“I think this is a good platform for B2B because they can com-municate with the international brands and get direct deals,” he asserted.
Sayed also pointed out that the exhibitors are happy with the facilities that OmanExpo has provided.
“Facilities, which the Oman-Expo has provided are excellent, basically it will help us to promote our brand and our name in this exhibition,” Harroon Rasheed of Reema Building Materials LLC told TOO.
Equipped well“We have a good exhibition be-cause not only is it equipped well, but the quality of the companies here is also excellent,” another ex-hibitor said.
OmanExpo is planning to or-ganise 10 to 12 major exhibitions in 2016.
“Every year, we organise 10
to 12 major exhibitions and this year too, we are planning to do the same by covering most of the eco-nomic aspects,” Sayed said.
According to him, they are all set organise the Oman Energy and Water Exhibition Conference this May.
“In September, we are planning to organise the Oman Health Ex-hibition and Conference and later one for Food and Hospitality,” he added.
Speaking about the participa-tion of international delegations in each exhibition, Sayed stated, “We are trying our best to bring international organisations to our exhibitions and we can assure that
each exhibition will have interna-tional delegates, based on the na-ture of the exhibition.”
Exhibitors said they are also receiving a good response from the visitors.
“We are getting good feed-back from the visitors; people are very keen to know about the products and new trends in the market,” Ravikumar Thekkat of Panasonic said.
“Some of them (visitors) are ready to talk business and even sign deals,” another attendee asserted. The four-day exhibi-tion will end on Thursday, with and the exhibition hours being 4 pm to 10 pm.
Current edition of
Oman’s biggest
exhibition in the
construction sector
is a huge success.
We are getting a
good response from
the exhibitors, as
well as the visitors,
a top off cial of
OmanExpo said
‘Fee hike to aff ect aviation industry’
Another offi cial from a GCC-based airline had commented earlier that fee increase move will aff ect the aviation industry and other activities in Oman.
“Airlines will not prefer to fl y to Oman if they have to shell out more and more money. This will aff ect tourism prospects Oman,” the offi cial had said earlier.
A travel agent also had said that any fee hike in aviation sector will have a domino action.
“Airlines are going to see if it’s worth their while fl ying into Oman. Airlines with more than one fl ight will re-think their strategy. Should they have fewer fl ights to Oman or none at all,” the travel agent said.
Recently, the Oman Airport Management Company (OAMC) had hiked airport departure tax from OMR8 to OMR10 and Oman Air had raised ground han-dling charges in response to the increased fees levied on the air-line across its network.
However Oman is not alone in the Gulf in increasing air-
port charges. On Wednesday the UAE’s offi cial news agency has reported that , every passen-ger leaving the UAE from any of Dubai’s airports, including tran-sit passengers, will be charged AED35 as a service fee for using airport facilities.
According to the report, air-lines operating in Dubai airports are tasked with collecting the fee while issuing tickets, whether in the UAE or outside the country, eff ective March 1, 2016 for fl ights departing Dubai’s airports after June 30, 2016. The collected fees will be transferred to Dubai Air-ports, and subsequently to the Dubai Government
However, the new move ex-empts passengers below two years and cabin crew from paying the fee in addition to those tran-sit passengers who have same ar-rival and departure fl ights.
The move aims to improve Dubai’s airport infrastructure and boost its capacity, which is set to reach 100 million passen-gers by 2023.
P A C A A N N O U N C E M E N T
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Company assures support
One survivour, who lost three of her brothers in the horrifi c crash, also claimed she has not been contacted about compen-sation. MA, who sustained inju-ries on her head, back and hands in the accident, was travelling on the bus.
‘I lost my brothers’“I lost my brothers and many other valuable things,” MA fur-ther added.
MA was heading to Dubai for shopping with her three broth-ers. However, when contacted, a top offi cial from the trans-port company said they are in touch with the relatives of the accident victims and also with the injured.
In constant touch“We are in constant touch with the victims’ relatives and also with the injured. All compensa-tion will be provided according to the law. We are liaising with the insurance company and the Royal Oman Police too. We will not leave the aff ected ones stranded,” Ahmed Salim Al Ma-shikhi, a top offi cial from the bus company, confi rmed to the Times of Oman.
I B R I - F A H U D A C C I D E N T
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Carving out a niche for herself on social mediaDEEBA [email protected]
MUSCAT: Halima Al Abdul Salam is a name that every social media user in Oman and the region is familiar with.
She is extremely passionate about social media, to the extent that she recently left her decade-long full-time job at a popular bank in Muscat to pursue her passion for social media blogging.
With a whopping 50,000 plus followers on Instagram, this young Omani has created waves in the social media marketing industry and earned a phenomenal reputa-tion in the market for her innova-tive ideas and creative posts.
“I always try to be creative, I think that is something which has kept me going strong. After my Instagram account started getting
popular, there were a lot of people who followed my way and tried to make it big, however most of them failed, probably because of lesser commitment and lack of innova-tive stuff , and that is my focus,” Salam said.
Apart from social media, Salam
has also opened her own business, which deals with marketing and promotions and even more, she also recently opened her offi ce in Bousher.
“People told me that this was the wrong time to leave my job and start a business, however I trusted my instincts and have faith that everything will go well. I am also planning to do more than just mar-keting and promotions with my new business but that will be an-
nounced in time.”Recently, Salam also started the
‘Coff ee with Halima’ event, where she meets with about three of her followers each month at a café and discusses things of interest. “I started this because my followers said they wanted to meet me and I thought it was a fantastic idea because it is a great way to learn from them and they can also learn from me.” Currently, she is work-ing on innovating her accounts even more, “Earlier, when I was still working at the bank, the so-cial media business was like a side thing for me, however now this has become my primary source of in-come, so I will need to focus on it more, along with my business.”
Being a social media celebrity can sometimes be diffi cult and Salam is no exception. “Some-times, I used to see comments
and remarks on my Instagram, which were really bad and I used to get very angry and frustrated about them, however as things progressed, I started ignoring those comments and sometimes even block people who post negative remarks.”
Salam has educated herself about social media by reading books and taking short courses in diff erent countries on the same. “Social media for me is not just any other thing, I love it and I am very much into it, which is why I try to improve myself every day, I try to come up with ideas, which no one else has come up with—even now I am working on getting more video reviews done for social media, which is something new.”
Follow Halima’s stories at: @Halima.AlAbdulSalam on Insta-gram
O M A N P R I D E
Halima Al Abdul Salam.
— Supplied picture
KEEN INTEREST: Dignitaries at a stand at The Big Show. – Pictures by Shabin E & Mohammed Ali /Times of Oman
Ahmed Sayed.
A7
OMANT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
Tenders worth OMR31.6 million awarded to firms
MUSCAT: Tenders worth OMR31.63 million were awarded by the Tender Board yesterday.
The Tender board held its 3rd meeting for 2016 under the chair-manship of Dr. Rasheed bin Al Safi Al Huraibi, Chairman of the Tender Board.
During the meeting, the Board awarded OMR31,630,481 worth tenders for the following projects:
1- Operation and mainte-nance of the assets of the Pub-lic Authority for Electricity and Water (water networks, wa-ter wells, pumping stations, building and annexes ) in the Governorate of A’Dakhiliyah (OMR7,972,804).
2- Operation and main-tenance of the assets of the Public Authority for Electric-ity and Water (water networks, water wells, pumping sta-tions, building and annexes)
in the Governorate of South Al Batinah (OMR6,283,817).
3- Operation and maintenance of the assets of the Public Au-thority for Electricity and Water (water networks, water wells, pumping stations, building and annexes) in the Governorate of Muscat (OMR4,153,320).
4- Operation and mainte-nance of the assets of the Pub-lic Authority for Electricity and Water (water networks, water wells, pumping stations, build-ing and annexes) in the Gov-ernorate of North A’Sharqiyah (OMR3,596,400).
5- Operation and maintenance of the assets of the Public Au-thority for Electricity and Water (water networks, water wells, pumping stations, building and annexes) in the Wilayat of A’Seeb in the Governorate of Muscat (OMR3,515,597).
6- Operation and maintenance
of the assets of the Public Au-thority for Electricity and Water (water networks, water wells, pumping stations, building and annexes) in the Governorate of Al Buraimi (OMR3,410,100).
7- Development works for the Ministry of Education e-Portal (OMR1,222,370).
8- Additional works for the Operation and maintenance of the assets of the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (above ground) in the Governorate of Muscat (OMR529,565).
9- Providing patrolling security guard service round the residen-tial complexes in the Governo-rates of North and South Al Bati-nah (OMR421,200).
10- Additional works for the operation and maintenance of the assets of the Public Author-ity for Electricity and Water (above ground) in the Gover-norate of North A’Sharqiyah (OMR234,092).
11- Additional works for the operation and maintenance of the assets of the Public Au-thority for Electricity and Wa-ter (underground) in the Gov-ernorate of South Al Batinah (OMR171,314).
12- Additional works for the operation and maintenance of the assets of the Public Au-thority for Electricity and Wa-ter (underground) in the Gov-ernorate of North Al Batinah (OMR119,903).
Tender board held its 3rd meeting for 2016
under the chairmanship of Dr. Rasheed bin
Al Safi Al Huraibi, Chairman of the Tender
Board and awarded in all tenders worth
OMR31,630,481 during the meeting
A8
REGIONT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, bolstered by military victory in the desert city of Palmyra, was quoted by Russia’s RIA news agency as saying a new draft constitution could be ready in weeks and a government that included opposition, independents and loyalists could be agreed.
Cyprus asked to extradite EgyptAir plane hijacker
CAIRO/LARNACA: Egypt’s pub-lic prosecutor has asked Cypriot authorities to hand over an Egyp-tian man accused of hijacking a passenger plane and diverting it to Cyprus, Egyptian state television reported on Wednesday.
The suspect, whom Cypriot and Egyptian authorities have identifi ed as Seif Eldin Mustafa, 59, surrendered on Tuesday after commandeering a domestic Alex-andria-Cairo fl ight with 72 pas-sengers and crew on board.
Mustafa has told police he acted because he wanted to see his es-tranged wife and children, saying “what should one do?”.
A Larnaca court on Wednesday ordered him to be held in custody for eight days on suspicion of hi-jacking, abduction, threatening violence, terrorism-related of-fences and two counts related to possession of explosives.
Fake explosives beltThe latter counts were connected to his claim of being strapped with explosives, even though the belt he wore is believed to be fake, a police source told Reuters.
As he left the court compound
in a police jeep, Mustafa stuck his hand out of an open window fl ashing the ‘v’ sign for victory. A Cyprus police spokesman and a government offi cial have said that any talk of extradition right now was premature.
Mustafa took charge of the
early morning fl ight by showing what appeared to be a belt stuff ed with plastic wires and a remote control, directing the fl ight to the holiday island where he asked for the release of female prisoners in Egypt, and to come in contact with his Cypriot ex-wife.
“When someone hasn’t seen his family for 24 years and wants to see his wife and children, and the Egyptian government doesn’t allow it, what should one do?,” he told Cypriot police in a statement. Details of his claimed predica-
ment were not available.All hostages were released un-
harmed after a six-hour standoff .The suspect allegedly comman-
deered the aircraft 15 minutes after takeoff from Alexandria. He approached a fl ight attendant and showed off the belt, attached to a remote control he held in his hand, investigating offi cer Andre-as Lambrianou told the court.
“The suspect asked all pas-sengers and crew to hand in their passports, then gave two messag-es to a member of the crew, asking
that the pilot be informed that he was a hijacker and wanted to land at an airport in Turkey, Greece or Cyprus, but preferably Cyprus,” Lambrianou said. “In a note, he stressed that if the airplane land-ed on Egyptian territory he would immediately blow the plane up.”
In Cyprus, Mustafa dropped an envelope on the runway ad-dressed to a Cypriot woman, later ascertained to be his ex-wife. In the letter, the suspect demanded the release of 63 female prisoners held in Egypt. — Reuters
Cyprus court ordered
hijacker Seif Eldin
Mustafa to be held
in custody for eight
days on suspicion of
hijacking, abduction,
threatening violence,
terrorism-related
off ences
Iraqi premier to present new cabinet lineup today
BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minis-ter Haider Al Abadi said he would present to parliament on Thurs-day his new cabinet lineup aimed at fi ghting corruption, in keeping with a deadline set by the legisla-ture earlier in the week.
Abadi announced more than six weeks ago that he wanted to replace current ministers with independent technocrats but has faced resistance from rivals who fear it could weaken the political patronage networks that have sus-tained their wealth and infl uence for more than a decade.
Failing to deliver on long-prom-ised anti-corruption measures could weaken Abadi’s government just as Iraqi forces are gearing up to try and recapture the northern city of Mosul from IS militants.
“Parliament must make up its mind and proceed with reforms including the cabinet reshuffl e which it and citizens have been calling for,” Abadi said in a state-ment posted on his website on Wednesday. “The council of repre-sentatives should clarify its posi-tion. Does it want ministers from the political blocs or technocrat ministers from outside the blocs and quotas?” he said.
It was unclear whether the par-liament would approve the new cabinet lineup.
On Tuesday Abadi had appealed to lawmakers for guidance on whether to appoint party politi-cians or independent technocrats to the cabinet, but parliament speaker Salim Al Jabouri said on Wednesday it was for Abadi to decide. Powerful Iraqi cleric Mo-qtada Al Sadr, who started a sit-in near parliament on Sunday and leads a bloc with three ministers in the current government, is push-ing Abadi to appoint nominees un-affi liated with political parties.
A separate sit-in staged by his supporters has locked down cen-tral Baghdad for most of the past week. — Reuters
F I G H T I N G G R A F T
Libya’s UN-backed Presidential Council reaches TripoliTRIPOLI: Members of Libya’s UN-backed Presidential Coun-cil reached Tripoli by ship on Wednesday, defying attempts to keep them out of the city and pre-vent them from installing a unity government.
Seven members of the Council including Fayez Seraj, its head and the new government’s prime min-ister, arrived from Tunisia at Trip-oli’s Abusita naval base amid tight security, a Reuters reporter wit-nessed. A separate self-declared government also based in Tripoli and armed groups that back it had warned the Council and the unity government not to travel to the capital. Tripoli’s airspace was closed for several hours on Sunday and Monday, a move the Coun-cil said was designed to prevent
it from reaching Libya. Seraj told Reuters that the council members had travelled in a Libyan navy ves-sel from the Tunisian port of Sfax, a 12-hour journey.
“There are challenges ahead of us, including uniting Libyans and healing divisions,” he said after ar-riving. “Young people are the ones we must bet on for Libya’s future.”
The unity government emerged from a UN-mediated deal signed in December aimed at ending the country’s political impasse, resolv-ing its armed confl ict and tackling a growing threat from IS militants.
Western powers have recog-nised it as Libya’s sole legitimate government, but it has faced con-tinuing opposition from hardlin-ers in both eastern and western Libya. Since 2014 Libya has had
two competing pairs of parlia-ments and governments, both backed by loose alliances of armed brigades. The government in Trip-oli was brought to power by armed
factions that won a battle for con-trol of the capital in 2014.
Tripoli, home to many armed factions, has seen sporadic clash-es in the past few days. Early on
Wednesday, loud explosions fol-lowed by heavy gunfi re were heard over the city.
Ahead of its arrival, the Coun-cil said it had negotiated a secu-rity plan with police and military forces in Tripoli, and with some armed groups. The road outside the naval base was heavily secured with checkpoints and armoured vehicles on Wednesday. Security forces were also stationed inside the base, and some guards arrived with the Council members.
The Council has called for an immediate transfer of power to the unity government, though both the Tripoli and eastern-based govern-ments oppose this.
The unity government’s 18 members have so far failed to secure a vote of approval from
Libya’s eastern, internationally-recognised parliament, as required under the UN-mediated deal, and Fathi Al Mrimi, a spokesman for eastern parliament’s president, said its arrival was “premature”.
“They have entered by force under foreign protection, and Libyans won’t accept anything imposed on them by force,” he told Reuters. UN Libya envoy Martin Kobler welcomed the Council’s arrival, saying the international community was “ready to provide the required support and assis-tance”, and that all Libyan security actors had a responsibility to en-sure its safety. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said it was “a unique opportunity for Lib-yans from all factions to reunite and reconcile”. — Reuters
U N I T Y G O V E R N M E N T
Assad says he can form new government with oppositionMOSCOW/BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar Al Assad said it would not be diffi cult to agree a new Syrian government includ-ing opposition fi gures, but his op-ponents responded on Wednes-day that no administration would be legitimate while he remained in offi ce.
Assad, bolstered by military victory in the desert city of Pal-myra, was quoted by Russia’s RIA news agency as saying a new draft constitution could be ready in weeks and a government that in-cluded opposition, independents and loyalists could be agreed.
While the distribution of port-folios and other technical issues would need to be discussed at Ge-neva peace talks, which resume next month, “these are not diffi -cult questions”, Assad said.
Opposition negotiators im-mediately dismissed Assad’s re-marks, saying that a political set-tlement could only be reached by establishing a transitional body with full powers, not a govern-ment under Assad.
“The government, whether it’s new or old, as long as it is in the presence of Bashar Al Assad, is not part of the political process,” said George Sabra of the High Ne-gotiations Committee.
“What Bashar Al Assad is talk-ing about has no relation to the political process.”
Syria’s crisis erupted fi ve years ago with protests against As-sad which were put down with force. It descended into a civil war which has killed more than 250,000, drawn in global military powers and helped IS establish its self-declared caliphate. Nearly 5 million refugees have been driven abroad. Assad told RIA the war had cost more than $200 billion in economic losses and damage to infrastructure. That is in line with a UN-backed body which estimates physical damage at $90 billion, with an additional $169 billion of accumulated losses from a collapse in GDP to less than half the 2011 level.
Russia’s six-month-old inter-vention in Syria helped swing
military momentum in Assad’s favour, reversing last summer’s gains by insurgents including Western-backed rebels and help-ing government forces drive IS out of Palmyra on Sunday.
The recapture of the Palmyra and its military airport, in the central Syrian desert, opens up the road further east to the IS bastions of Deir Al Zor province and Raqqa. “After liberating Pal-myra it is necessary to move into the nearby regions which lead to the eastern parts of the country, for example, Deir Al Zor,” Assad said. “At same time, we need to start in the direction of Raqqa, which is currently the main IS stronghold.”
Any off ensive on Deir Al Zor or Raqqa however would likely need signifi cantly more fi repower than the Palmyra assault. “It’s an open question whether or not the Syri-an army is going to be able to push any further to the east,” said US Army Col Steve Warren, Bagh-dad-based spokesman for the US-led coalition against IS. — Reuters
B O L S T E R E D B Y V I C T O R Y
AGAINST ALL ODDS: Libya’s UN-backed Prime Minister-designate,
Fayez Al Sarraj, right, is greeted by unidentifi ed offi cials upon his
arrival in Tripoli. – AFP/HO/Libya’s Prime Minister Facebook Page/Handout
IN CUSTODY: Seif Eldin Mustafa, an Egyptian man who hijacked an EgyptAir passenger plane on Tuesday and forced it to divert to Cy-
prus demanding to see his ex-wife, wears handcuff s as he leaves the court in Larnaca escorted by Cypriot police on Wednesday. – AFP
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Floor test in Uttarakhand Assembly stayed till April 7
NAINITAL: In yet another twist to political developments in Utta-rakhand, the Division Bench of High Court on Wednesday stayed till April 7 the fl oor test in the As-sembly that was slated for today.
Staying the order of the single judge U. C. Dhyani, the two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice K. M. Joseph posted the matter for April 6 for fi nal hearing on the writ petition fi led by ousted chief minister Harish Rawat challeng-ing the imposition of President’s Rule in the state.
“In view of the consent of the parties that the writ petition be posted to 06-04-2016 for being disposed of fi nally, we direct that the order, which is impugned in these appeals will be kept in abey-ance till 07-04-2016,” said the bench, also comprising Justice V. K. Bist, in a brief order.
The order came after Attor-ney General Mukul Rohatgi, ap-pearing for the Centre, strongly opposed Tuesday’s order saying courts cannot interfere with the Presidential proclamation.
“How can a fl oor test be ordered
when a Presidential proclamation is in force and the Assembly is in suspended animation,” Rohatgi said. The bench noted that the AG and senior advocate Abishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for Rawat, agreed that the writ peti-
tion which has given rise to these appeals may be “withdrawn to this bench” and be fi nally disposed of.
The AG said the Centre’s coun-ter affi davit, along with that of centrally-ruled Uttarakhand, would be fi led by April 4.
The court gave 24 hours to peti-tioner Rawat to fi le a rejoinder af-fi davit to counter affi davits.
Earlier, the trust vote was slated for March 28 but the Centre im-posed President’s Rule on March 27, citing “breakdown of Consti-
tutional machinery” in the state.This was challenged by Rawat
before the single judge U. C. Dhy-ani of the High Court.
The single judge, while ordering the fl oor test on March 31, had also allowed nine disqualifi ed rebel Congress MLAs to participate in the voting. Congress was unhappy and had planned to challenge this aspect of the order.
Ordering the fl oor test on Tues-day, Justice Dhyani had observed that invoking of Article 356 of the Constitution by the Centre was a “colourable exercise of power”.
“Democratically-elected Hous-es should not be demolished in such a fashion. Floor test is the only test to prove the majority,” he had said even though he ruled out staying the eff ect of the proclama-tion under Article 356 at this stage.
Advocate Nalin Kohli, who was part of the lawyers’ team representing the Centre, said the Centre will fi le its counter before the Division Bench on April 4 for which the other side will fi le its reply the next day.
Meanwhile, Justice Dhyani put off hearing on a plea by rebel Con-gress MLAs challenging their dis-qualifi cation by Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal after President’s Rule was imposed.
Posting hearing on the disquali-fi ed MLAs’ appeal to April one, Justice Dhyani said as per the interim order issued by him on Tuesday they have already been given relief by being allowed to vote during a fl oor test despite be-ing disqualifi ed.
The court also told them that al-though they have been allowed to vote in the assembly during fl oor test their votes will not be treated on par with the rest of the MLAs.
An appeal was fi led on Wednes-day by six of the nine rebel MLAs against the Speaker’s action ques-tioning its validity on the ground that the action had been taken after imposition of President’s Rule and suspension of the Assembly. - PTI
The order came after
Attorney General
Mukul Rohatgi,
appearing for the
Centre, strongly
opposed Tuesday’s
order saying courts
cannot interfere
with the Presidential
proclamation BRIEFING: Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat addresses the media in Dehradun on Tuesday. - PTI
NEW DELHI: BJP on Wednesday welcomed the Utt-arakhand High Court Division Bench order staying Thurs-day’s fl oor test in the Assembly, saying it has off ered clarity and lifted the uncertainty caused by the order of a single judge of the court Tuesday.
“We welcome the order. The order delivered yesterday (Tuesday_ for holding the fl oor test tomorrow (Thursday) had created a lot of uncertainty.
The Division Bench’s order
has given clarity,” BJP Nation-al Secretary Shrikant Sharma said reacting to the order.
Attacking Congress, he said it has been caught in its own trap and should not blame the BJP for President’s Rule because no government can be run when a majority of MLAs are against its continuation.
“The Governor’s report also mentioned about the horse trading involving the then Chief Minister Harish Rawat.
He was caught off ering
allurements to his own party MLAs. Congress has shamed democracy. Actions of its government necessitated President’s Rule” he said.
Rawat was involved in political “intrigue” against former chief minister and Congress veteran N. D. Tiwari, Sharma alleged, adding that he “worked for the removal” of former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna. “Now, he is facing rebellion. He should not be blaming BJP for it.” - PTI
BJP welcomes court’s division bench order
Mallya off ers to repay Rs40b to banksNEW DELHI: Facing legal pro-ceedings for alleged default of loans worth over Rs90 billion from various banks, liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Wednesday ex-pressed willingness in Supreme Court for a settlement by off ering a proposal to pay back Rs40 bil-lion by September this year.
The proposal submitted in a sealed envelope however covers a loan amount of Rs69.03 billion, a senior advocate appearing for the consortium of banks led by State Bank of India, said.
He said the proposal also men-tions an additional amount of over Rs20 billion on the basis of a pending suit fi led by Mallya’s businesses, but did not give de-tails of the lawsuit.
The proposal was placed jointly by Mallya and his companies —Kingfi sher Airlines Ltd, United Breweries (Holdings) Ltd and Kingfi sher Finvest (India) Ltd.
A bench comprising Justices Kurian Joseph and R. F. Nariman allowed the consortium of banks a week’s time to respond to the pro-posal and posted the matter for further hearing on April 7.
At the outset, senior advocate C. S. Vaidyanathan, appearing for Kingfi sher and Mallya, submit-ted that they have given a pro-posal to the consortium of banks as to what can be done under the given circumstances. He said the copy of the proposal was given on
Wednesday to the consortium of banks for their consideration.
The senior advocate appearing for the banks said he would like to go through the proposal and then respond. Vaidyanathan request-ed the bench that the proposal should be kept in a sealed cover
for the time being, as negotiations were going on for the settlement and media hype could vitiate the atmosphere.
He said the proposal has been prepared after discussions with Mallya, currently in United King-dom, through video conferencing.
Taking note of the submis-sions made by Vaidyanathan and senior advocate Parag Tripathi, who appeared for the UB Group, the bench told the consortium of banks to look into the proposal and respond.
“It is for you to tell us whether you reject this or not,” the bench said. It also asked whether Mallya is back in India or not. “Where are you? Are you back in India,” the judges asked the counsel, who said Mallya was still abroad and he had a video conferencing with him on Tuesday.
“Media has vitiated the at-mosphere. The atmosphere is so surcharged against me. There are cases in which media created such a surcharged atmosphere that even beatings have taken place... the less said the better,” Vaidyanathan said. - PTI
L O A N D E F A U L T C A S E
Seven CRPF
men killed in
landmine blast
RAIPUR: Seven CRPF men were killed on Wednesday and their weapons looted after Naxals car-ried out a deadly landmine blast on their vehicle in the jungles of the worst Naxal-aff ected Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.
Offi cials said the incident oc-curred near the Basaras-Kuakon-da axis in the Melawada village in the said district when a Tata-709 mini-truck of the force went over a landmine at about 4pm and all the seven occupants were killed from the impact of the blast.
The landmine was planted clev-erly by Maoists under the ‘black top or puccka’ road and the troops were travelling in a three-vehicle convoy, they said.
The vehicle and the troops were blown to smithereens and a four-feet crater has been created at the place were the blast took place, they said. They said the troops belonged to the 230th battalion of the force deployed in south Bastar area for anti-Naxal operations.
Preliminary reports said the squad was led by a sub-inspector-rank offi cer and was moving on an administrative task as they were not in uniform.
“All the weapons of the troops have been looted by Naxals. Rein-forcement squads have reached the spot,” they said. - PTI
C H H A T T I S G A R H
WRECKAGE: Mangled remains
of a CRPF vehicle in the after-
math of a Naxal attack on a
CRPF convoy passing through
Malewada in Dantewada on
Wednesday. - PTI
LEGAL WOES: Vijay Mallya who is abroad, has told Supreme Court
through his lawyer on Wednesday that he is willing to pay up
Rs40 billion to the banks by September 2016. - PTI fi le photo
A10
INDIA T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
When they had ruled the state, it was known for anarchy and extremism. If such people came to power, the era of peace and development which continued for last 15 years will come under threat
Sonia Gandhi, Congress president
Irom Sharmila acquitted in 2006 attempt to suicide caseNEW DELHI: Manipuri rights activist Irom Sharmila was on Wednesday acquitted by a Delhi court in a case of allegedly trying to commit suicide while under-taking fast-unto-death at Jantar Mantar here in 2006 demanding scrapping of AFSPA.
After the judgement was passed, 42-year-old Sharmila who has been on fast for the last 16 years in Manipur demanding repeal of the Armed Forces (Spe-cial Powers) Act(AFSPA), said her struggle would continue till AFSPA is revoked.
“The accused is acquitted in the case,” Metropolitan Magistrate Harvinder Singh said while pro-nouncing the order.
Talking to scribes outside the courtroom, Sharmila said, “My struggle will continue till the time AFPSA is repealed. It does not matter whether I am released from the jail or not.”
The court asked her to furnish a personal bond of Rs10,000. How-ever, she refused to furnish the bond saying, “I am following the
path of Mahatma Gandhi.”Her counsel V. K. Ohri tried to
pursuade her outside the court-room to make her understand the purpose and importance of furnishing personal bond. She, however, replied, “I am not con-vinced.” After the court was in-formed about it by the counsel, the magistrate said that personal bond furnished by her when she
was granted bail in this case is ex-tended by six months.
“Since she is in judicial custody in some other cases and her pres-ence could be secured before the appellate court, in case the pre-sent order is challenged, and that she was earlier granted bail in the present matter, the personal bond furnished at that time is extended for six months,” the court said.
When Sharmila left the court premises, a number of people ac-companying her, raised slogans in her support and demanded repeal of AFPSA.
Sharmila was put on trial on March 4, 2013, for allegedly trying to commit suicide while under-taking fast-unto-death at Jantar Mantar on October 4, 2006.
She had earlier told the court that she was ready to end her fast if the controversial AFSPA was repealed.
Sharmila, who is fed through nasal tube, was put on trial after she refused to plead guilty to the charge of attempting to commit suicide (section 309 of IPC). - PTI
F A S T - U N T O - D E A T H
Modi pitches for pact with Belgium to combat terror
BRUSSELS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday strongly pitched for resumption of talks on a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and other instruments to combat the common challenge of terrorism during his talks with Belgian premier Charles Michel, days after a series of terror attacks in the Belgian capital that left over 30 people dead.
During the talks, the two lead-ers covered whole spectrum of bilateral ties.
Modi, who arrived here on Wednesday on a day-long visit, invited Belgian government and companies to pro-actively as-
sociate with India’s ambitious projects including ‘Digital India’, ‘Start Up India’ and ‘Skill India’, asserting that combination of Bel-gian capacities and India’s eco-nomic growth can produce prom-ising opportunities for businesses on both sides.
Referring to various partner-ship possibility between the two countries, Modi said Belgian busi-nesses can make their global sup-ply chains more cost eff ective by manufacturing in India.
“Clearly, it is not just diamonds that can bring shine to our part-nership,” he added.
Ahead of his talks, Modi laid a wreath of white fl owers at the Maalbeek Metro station in the Belgian capital where a suicide bomber blew himself up killing scores of passengers, including Raghavendran Ganeshan, an Info-sys employee from Bengaluru.
“Last week has been a sad week for Belgium. Let me say Prime Minister that we share the depth of sorrow and grief that the peo-ple of Belgium have experienced in the last 8 days...Having experi-enced terrorist violence ourselves on countless occasions, we share your pain.
“Prime Minister, in this time of crisis, the whole of India stands in full support and solidarity with the Belgian people. I deeply appre-ciate your welcome and the time that you have devoted to me de-spite pressing demands on you.”As part of our eff orts to respond to this common challenge we could resume discussions on a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. Negotia-tions on Extradition Treaty and a Treaty on Exchange of Sentenced Prisoners could be concluded ex-peditiously,” Modi said after his talks with Belgian leader.
Modi’s visit comes just days
after the March 22 terror attack here in which at least 32 people were killed.
PartnershipDescribing India as “one of the brightest economic opportuni-ties” in the world today, Modi said its macroeconomic fundamentals are robust, and at 7 per cent plus, the country was one of the fastest growing economies of the world.
India’s goal to modernise in-frastructure, especially railways and ports, and building of 100 plus smart cities also presents a unique investment opportunity for the Belgian companies, he said, adding that these partner-ships can help the two countries reach new heights in their trade and commercial partnership.
Modi said he has invited Prime Minister Michel to visit India with Belgian businesses to see fi rst-hand the reality of India’s economic and political promise.
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges before man-kind and the two countries have agreed to enhance their coopera-tion in renewable energy, he said.
“We would also build partner-ships in areas such as harnessing waste for energy, small wind tur-bines and zero emission buildings.Advancement in S&T and high technology areas is of particular importance for India’s develop-ment priorities,” the prime minis-ter said. - PTI
Referring to
various partnership
possibility between
the two countries,
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said
Belgian businesses
can make their
global supply chains
more cost eff ective
by manufacturing
in India
Modi insulting Assam, BJP-led alliance communal, divisive: SoniaSIVASAGAR/AMGURI: Slam-ming the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance in Assam as coming together of “two dangerous forces of communalism and divisive-ness”, Sonia Gandhi on Wednes-day accused Indian Prime Minis-ter Narendra Modi of “insulting” people of the state and going back on promises of development.
The Congress president also took potshots at the prime min-ister for his remarks linking his humble origin as a tea seller with Assam tea and said “those working in the tea gardens as well as tribals are asking when will the good days (achche din) come.” ‘Achche din’ was Modi’s poll slogan in 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Repeatedly claiming “insult” of Assamese and North-East people by BJP, Sonia said the composite culture of the state was in “dan-ger” and if BJP-AGP-BPF alliance government came to power in the state, the “era of peace and devel-opment”, which she claimed was brought during the 15-year-rule of Tarun Gogoi in the state, would be under “threat”.
Talking at length about the con-
tribution of Congress in bringing peace and prosperity in Assam, Sonia said “this time the compos-ite culture of Assam is in danger because two dangers have come together here. One is communal and the other is divisive.”
Positioning Congress as the counter-force to these powers, Sonia asked, “Why so they oppose the Congress party and its work-ers? Because they know it well that Congress represents all sections of the Assamese society. They know that in 15 years of Gogoi’s rule, As-sam has emerged as a peaceful and progressive state.”
“When they had ruled the state, it was known for anarchy and ex-tremism. If such people came to power, the era of peace and devel-opment which continued for last 15 years will come under threat.”
‘Discrimination’BJP’s ally was in power in Assam twice in the past. She alleged “dis-crimination” against Assam by Modi government, and said, “Af-ter all, why brothers and sisters of North East and Assam are be-ing insulted so much? Why Tarun
Gogoi is being insulted this much? Why people of Assam are being in-sulted so much.?
Sonia ‘s emphasis on the alleged “insult” of Assam, Assamese and the state chief minister is some-what akin to the strategy adopted by Nitish Kumar in Bihar, who had made an issue out of certain re-marks by Modi projecting them as insult of Bihar.
The Congress president’s all
out attack on the BJP has come at a time when some opinion polls and experts have given the BJP an edge in Assam, where Congress is battling an anti-incumbency of 15 years. Sonia said that she wants to ask BJP’s friends here whether they remember the “discrimina-tion” done by Modi government to Assam.
“Can anybody forget that how Modi government had refused
to provide funds for relief dur-ing fl oods in Assam? Can you forget that Modi government has reduced the funding of schemes made for the uplift of Assam dur-ing the UPA government? Can you forget how Modi government snatched the special state status of Assam, which was given by the UPA government during the prime ministership of Manmohan Singh.
“We had given a very good sys-tem of autonomous council for Assam’s development. What has Modi government done? What are they doing? Modi government is making all eff orts to fi nish the autonomy of this council. Prime Minister Modi did not think of talking to Assam or other states of North East on the Naga accord. Now nobody knows what hap-pened to this accord,” Sonia said, accusing the BJP government at Centre of repeatedly “insulting” Assam.
Sonia took a jbe at the prime minister, who had an election rally a few days ago recalled that he sold Assam tea to energise oth-ers and therefore shared a special bond with the people of the tea-
producing state. “Prime Minis-ter Modi praises Assam tea but those working in the tea garden are passing through tough times during his rule. Those working in the tea gardens and the tribals are asking Modiji when will our good days come.
“Modi government is try-ing to snatch the right of cheap foodgrains available to the tea garden workers,” she alleged and congratulated Gogoi and Congress leader Anjan Dutta for “having op-posed and stopped” such a plan.
She also said that Modi should tell when he will SC status to tea garden workers. “I would ask the prime minister why did he reduce the budget for minorities and trib-als. What is happening ever since Modi-led NDA government has come to power. Price rise is break-ing the back of people. The prices of even essential medicines have gone beyond the reach of common man,” Sonia said.
The Congress president also reminded that BJP, which had fi rst opposed the land boundary agreement with Bangladesh, later changed track and signed it. - PTI
C A M P A I G N T R A I L
WOOING VOTERS: Congress president Sonia Gandhi addresses the
gathering at an election rally at Biswanath Chariali in Sonitpur
district of Assam on Wednesday. - PTI
RELIEF: Police escort social
activist Irom Sharmila as she
leaves the Patiala House court
after a hearing in a case of at-
tempt to suicide in New Delhi
on Wednesday. -PTI
WARM GREETINGS Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Belgian Prime Minister Charles
Michel shake hands ahead of a meeting on Wednesday in Brussels. - AFP
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‘Insurgency situation has improved in last 18 months’
DULIAJAN (Assam): Home Min-ister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday claimed that the insurgency situ-ation has improved considerably in the last 18 months since BJP came to power at the Centre and appealed to all militant outfi ts in Assam to give up arms and come forward for talks.
“The insurgency situation in the country has improved considera-bly and is under control during the last 18 months and I am not making this claim myself but political ana-lysts have been pointing this out,” Singh told an election rally here.
It is a fact that “incidents keep happening in Assam and when Ad-ivasis were killed by militants in 2014, immediately rushed to Gu-wahati and in a meeting with the chief minister had clearly stated that violence and terror will not be related at any cost”, he said.
“As the union home minister, I want send a message to all mili-tants to give up the path of violence and arms.
“If they have any problem, they must end violence and talk to us. We are prepared to hold talks and settle all issues only if there is no violence and killing of innocent people,” Singh said.
He said, along with infi ltration, there has been huge infl ow of fake currency notes from Bangladesh and it is a matter of great concern as it ultimately ends up controlling the economy.
“Congress never paid attention to this problem but we are com-mitted to solve this problem and will check the entry of fake curren-cy from the neighbouring country,” Singh said. - PTI
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Clinton’s tack to the centre? It’s just talkPaula Dwyer
One bit of conventional 2016 campaign wis-dom is that Bernie Sanders has pushed Hillary Clinton far to the left. It seems so
obvious that even the socialists are celebrating.Like a lot of conventional wisdom, it’s partly
true. Clinton’s words on taxes, trade, minimum wages, immigration and Wall Street do sound a lot like those of the socialist Sanders. But look past the stump speeches and something more signifi -cant becomes clear: Clinton’s rhetoric may have changed, but her policy positions haven’t. That means her anticipated pivot toward the centre for the general election is also likely to be more ora-torical than substantive.
So far, Clinton has pulled off a neat trick. She has gone toe-to-toe with Sanders by calling for higher taxes on the rich, more generous health-care sub-sidies and criminal-justice reforms. She positions herself to his left on gun control, equal pay for women and immigration.
Even his most steadfast supporters are con-vinced. “Thanks to Bernie Sanders,” says Adam Green, the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a liberal grassroots group, “Hillary Clinton was made a better candidate.” He cites her support for debt-free college, more gener-ous Social Security benefi ts and jailing Wall Street bankers who break the law as examples of how she moved in Sanders’s direction and “remolded the Democratic Party.”
But an analysis of her speeches, debates and white papers shows that she’s been a careful tac-tician. On issue after issue, she has left an escape hatch and declined to say things that might cause voter whiplash later. Once she clinches the nomi-nation, Clinton may not need to tack back to the centre much at all.
One example is the minimum wage. When Sand-ers called for a nationwide $15 minimum, she re-sponded by backing a higher wage too. But hers was for $12, citing economists who say a $15 fl oor could invite more automation and job losses in de-pressed and rural areas.
Her escape clause? Unlike Sanders, she would let the states decide. She allows that a higher minimum wage might work in more expensive cities and states -- and they are free to enact one if they choose.
She similarly responded to Sanders’s call for
free college, one of his trademark issues, by tout-ing a new tuition-subsidy plan of her own. It’s less costly and more complicated than Sanders’s, involving free community-college tuition for low-er-income students and debt-free public college programs for others. Her plan is less generous and means-tested so that the well-off -- including Don-ald Trump’s kids, she likes to say -- wouldn’t get the taxpayer subsidy.
She’s sharpened her anti-Wall-Street rheto-ric, claiming to be tougher than Sanders when it comes to banking regulation. Yet in the fall, her positions aren’t likely to get in the way when she taps fi nanciers’ wallets to compete against, say, a self-fi nanced Donald Trump.
Unlike Sanders, she doesn’t call for breaking up big banks, a position that might demand modifi -cation in a general-election campaign. Instead, she proposes to close loopholes in the 2010 Dodd-Frank fi nancial reform law and bring lightly regu-lated groups, including high-speed traders and pri-vate-equity fi rms, under closer supervision. And despite Sanders’s constant criticism of her well-paid speeches to Goldman Sachs, she has never vowed to refuse Wall Street’s money.
Clinton has fl ipped from a supporter of trade liberalisation when her husband Bill Clinton was president to a quasi-anti-trade position. She has said, for example, that she can’t support the Trans-Pacifi c Partnership in its present form, even af-ter helping to negotiate it as President Barack Obama’s secretary of state. Yet she’s never said she couldn’t eventually favor it, leaving wiggle room when Congress hammers out the details, possibly in a lame-duck session after the election.
Both Democratic candidates speak passionately about reducing inequality. But they have vastly diff erent approaches. Sanders favors huge, across-the-board tax hikes on the wealthy. Clinton match-es his rhetoric, but her tax hikes are more selec-tive. For higher-income taxpayers, she would raise taxes on the sale of stocks, bonds and other invest-ments held for less than two years, limit the value of income-tax deductions and impose a 4 percent income-tax surcharge on those earning above $5 million. - Bloomberg View
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Governments not interested in saving ecosystemsThis refers to the report Kenyan wildlife rangers shoot dead stray lion near Nairobi (March 30). I had always thought the Kenyan authorities cared for its game park animals’ rights just like that of its
citizens. This incident is indeed deplorable. Throughout the world mankind has en-croached land which wild animals consider it part of their grazing pastures or territory in case of carnivores. Instead of planning cities keeping this in mind, governments keep encroaching habitat leading to dis-turbance in the ecosystem. Governments are not concerned by this as not much money can be gained by this endeavour in comparison to lobby groups calling for commercialisation of climate change. — Robin Schimdt, Ruwi
Home advantage, spinners likely to help India beat West Indies This refers to the report India bank on spin to blunt West Indian weapons (March 30). This match augurs well for the game of cricket as in my opinion both sides are
equally matched. However as India has home advantage plus condi-tions favouring its spinners it is very likely to emerge victors. The Caribbean side will need to overcome these obstacles to weed out a place in the fi nal. — Mona Waheed, Seeb
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Needed: A body to control prices of farm productsMUSCAT: Traders, dealers, farmers and consumers alike, who are dealing with the vibrant Al Mawaleh fruits and vegetables market in Mawaleh, are demanding an immediate end to the unhealthy forces that are believed to be causing the hike on two, high demand, but cur-rently less available vegetables. They also called for an authoritative body, like now defunct Pamap (Public Authority for Marketing Ag-ricultural Produce), to control the prices and check the alarmingly shrinking rates of almost all other vegetables.
1836: The fi rst monthly instalment of The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens is published in London.
1889: The Eiff el Tower in Paris offi cially opens on the Left Bank as part of the Exhibition of 1889.
1917: US purchases Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25m.
1966: 200,000 anti-war demonstrators march in New York.
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In the good old days, when health care was not so sophisticated, junior MBBS doctors could easily identify
the problem without resorting to many tests. They used to prescribe
simple syrups and tablets along with an injection and one was back to
normal in no time. Today, hospitals don’t give such syrups
N. GURUMURTHY
Problems bedeviling Myanmar, Malaysia, and Thailand may appear
to have little in common. But they all spring from the same source: An entrenched elite’s stubborn
refusal to craft a viable system of governance that recognises new
and rising segments of society and refl ects their interests
YURIKO KOIKE
Young Italians remain dissatisfi ed with the state of their country and the economic opportunities it can
provide. Indeed, despite Renzi’s promise to implement reforms
aimed at rejuvenating the country’s economy and institutions – the
platform on which he won power in 2014 – some 90,000 Italians under
the age of 40 have since left
PAOLA SUBACCHI
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Muscat International Airport’s runway to be closed for maintenance on specifi ed schedules.
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PAKISTANT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
120 exhibitions for local products to be held abroad
KARACHI: The government will organise 120 exhibitions in diff er-ent countries this year to market local products and improve the country’s image that has been dented by terrorism incidents, said Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan.
Speaking at the soft launch of
the ‘Texpo 2016’ at a local hotel, he said his ministry and its subor-dinate bodies have planned to or-ganise a ‘one-of-a-kind, four-day, textile only exhibition’ that would be held at the Karachi Expo Cen-tre from April 7 till 10 this year.
The exhibition would be held in four halls with 230 exhibitors rep-resenting the entire value chain of the textile sector; from yarn mak-ers to other value-added products manufacturers.
“Despite all security issues;
especially after the recent La-hore blast, the government has decided to stick with its plan for Texpo 2016. We want to tell ter-rorists that they cannot stop us,” said Dastgir. He said his ministry was also launching an aggressive image-building campaign for the country through overseas exhi-bitions. These exhibitions have been planned in Iran, Central-Asian and other established coun-tries to explore new markets for Pakistani products.
“We have learnt through expe-rience that sector-specifi c exhi-bitions can help Pakistan attract buyers and business,” said Dast-gir, shedding light on the purpose of arranging such an expo.
“We are hopeful that Texpo 2016 will be a successful event in terms of attracting foreign buyers and generating useful business deals,” he added.
Commenting on the current decline in exports, Dastgir said it was not a Pakistan-specifi c prob-
lem. “China, India, Turkey and Thailand, all have experienced signifi cant drop in their exports mainly because of the global eco-nomic slowdown.”
Promote exportsThe Trade Development Author-ity of Pakistan (TDAP), govern-ment’s body to promote exports, has already organised nine exhibi-tions in Pakistan.
TDAP Secretary Rabiya Javeri Agha, giving further details on the upcoming expo, said that over 750 foreign delegates have been regis-tered for the upcoming event, out of which 400 have confi rmed their participation.
“These delegates are from 52 countries including Australia, Holland, Japan, China and Russia.
“The largest delegation, con-stituting 67 members, is com-ing from China while the British Business Centre United Kingdom (UK) – set up by the UK to fa-cilitate bilateral trade and invest-ment between UK and Pakistan – is bringing a 25-member del-egation under the leadership of Baroness Nausheena Mubarik,” informed Agha. “We also have 20 people coming in from Kazakh-stan for the event, brought by the USAID,” she added. — Express Tribune
Speaking at the soft
launch of the Texpo
2016, Minister for
Commerce Khurram
Dastgir Khan said
a ‘one-of-a-kind,
four-day, textile
only exhibition’ that
would be held at the
Karachi Expo Centre
from April 7 till 10
Texpo 2016 would
be held in four halls
with 230 exhibitors
representing the entire
value chain of the textile
sector; from yarn makers
to other value-added
products manufacturers
PPP to pay for Zulfi kar’s anniversary, says Bilawal
KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Par-ty (PPP) chairman on Wednesday took notice of reports regarding Sindh government’s decision to re-lease Rs25 million for an event on party founder Zulfi kar Ali Bhutto’s death anniversary.
According to a statement, Bila-wal Bhutto-Zardari ordered Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah to conduct an inquiry into the matter, saying all costs for the event on April 4 will be borne by party’s own resources.
“The government will not pay a penny from its funds,” the PPP chairman said, as he ordered Ali to investigate the matter.
Offi cial documents earlier said the funds were released by the fi nance department after a summary was approved by the chief minister.
In the document released on Monday, fi nance department sec-tion offi cer (B and E-VII) refer-ring to the chief minister’s sum-mary said, “The amount has been sanctioned in anticipation of budgetary provision 2015-2016 and will be released from law and order budget.”
However, PPP Sindh informa-tion secretary Waqar Mehdi had rejected the claim. — Express Tribune
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Myanmar swears in first president with no army ties
NAYPYITAW/YANGON: Mem-bers of Aung San Suu Kyi’s vic-torious National League for De-mocracy (NLD) were in tears on Wednesday as Myanmar swore in its fi rst president with no military ties in more than half a century.
Htin Kyaw, a close friend and confi dant of the Nobel peace prize laureate, was hand-picked by her to run Myanmar’s government
because a constitution drafted by the former junta bars the democ-racy champion from the top offi ce.
In a short address to the cham-ber, Htin Kyaw reiterated Suu Kyi’s stance on the importance of changing the 2008 charter, which entrenches the military’s power-ful position in politics, and called for national reconciliation.
NLD lawmakers were emotion-al at the scale of the achievement after decades of struggle, includ-
ing years when many of them were jailed or, like Suu Kyi herself, put under house arrest.
“I couldn’t sleep last night. Our president U. Htin Kyaw’s speech is something we have never heard before in the country,” NLD law-maker Thiri Yadana, 28, said.
“He promised that he will work for the country with the respect to our leader Aung San Suu Kyi. It’s such a big step and this has hap-pened because everybody pushed
together forward.” Relations be-tween the armed forces and Suu Kyi will defi ne the success of My-anmar’s most signifi cant break from military rule since the army seized power in 1962.
“Our new government will im-plement national reconciliation, peace in the country, emergence of a constitution that will pave the way to a democratic union, and enhance the living standard of the people,” said Htin Kyaw, sporting the NLD’s traditional burnt or-ange jacket.
“We have the duty to work for the emergence of a constitution that is appropriate for our country and also in accordance with dem-ocratic standards.”
Tension had simmered in the run-up to the November election and as the NLD prepared to take power. Suu Kyi wants to demili-tarise Myanmar’s politics but ef-fectively needs the support of the military to do so. The armed forc-es are guaranteed three ministries and control a quarter of parlia-mentary seats - enough to give
them a veto over constitutional amendments and potentially limit the scope of Suu Kyi’s reforms.
Suu Kyi is poised to steer the government from within, acting as a super-minister overseeing education, foreign aff airs, electric power and energy - and the presi-dent’s offi ce.
Before Htin Kyaw addressed the parliament, he and two newly elected vice presidents held the junta-drafted constitution in their hands and took the oath simulta-neously, repeating after the par-liament speaker Mahn Win Kha-ing Than: “I will always be loyal to the Union of Myanmar and will always put non-disintegration of the union, national unity and perpetuation of sovereignty at the forefront,” read the fi rst line of the oath.
Myanmar army chief Min Aung Hlaing attended the cer-emony. Htin Kyaw, elected by the NLD-dominated parliament this month, runs a charity founded by Suu Kyi and has been a trust-ed member of her inner circle since the mid-1990s. He is not a lawmaker.
Hundreds of diplomats and rep-resentatives of non-governmental organisations attended the cer-emony. - Reuters
NLD lawmakers were
emotional at the scale
of the achievement
after decades of
struggle, including
years when many
of them were jailed
or, like Suu Kyi
herself, put under
house arrest
Court issues arrest warrantfor Khaleda ZiaDHAKA: A Bangladesh court issued an arrest warrant on Wednesday for former prime minister and opposition leader Khaleda Zia over a deadly fi re-bombing attack last year, a pros-ecutor said.
The court also issued arrest warrants for 27 leaders and ac-tivists of Khaleda’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party in connection with the petrol bomb attack on a bus during a party protest in Dha-ka in January last year.
“The court passed the order af-ter accepting the charges against them,” public prosecutor Shah Alam Talukdar said.
Early last year, at least 120 people were killed and hundreds injured in political violence, most in petrol bomb attacks on vehicles, amid transport block-ades and strikes by the oppo-sition aimed at toppling the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Bangladeshi politics has been
mired for years in rivalry be-tween Hasina and Khaleda.
Both women are related to for-mer national leaders, and they have alternated as prime minis-ter for most of the past two dec-ades. Khaleda, 70, was not im-mediately available for comment. She and leaders of her party have denied the accusations of respon-sibility for the fi re saying it was politically motivated. - Reuters
B A N G L A D E S H
HANDOVER CEREMONY: Myanmar’s new President Htin Kyaw,
left, receives the presidential seal from outgoing president Thein
Sein during the handover ceremony at the presidential palace in
Naypyitaw on Wednesday. - Reuters/Ye Aung Thu/Pool
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Malaysia Airlines’ bid to strike out MH370 suit dismissed
KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian court on Wednesday dismissed a bid by national fl ag carrier Malay-sia Airlines Berhad (MAB) to throw out a suit fi led by relatives of three passengers who went missing on fl ight MH370, opening the way for other relatives to sue the airline.
MH370 disappeared on a fl ight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 passen-gers and crew on board.
More than 50 suits have been fi led in the Malaysian courts over the plane’s disappearance, while others have been fi led in the Unit-ed States, Australia, and China.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court ruling is likely to come as a relief for relatives, many of whom had feared they would not be able to get com-pensation from Malaysia Airlines Systems (MAS) after it transferred all its assets and operations to MAB in a restructuring exercise last year. MAB had argued that it had no li-ability as it was set up eight months after the aircraft disappeared. But the court did not accept that, in-stead ruling that MAB’s liability would be determined in a trial, gov-ernment lawyer Alice Loke Yee Ch-ing told reporters. - Reuters
H I G H C O U R T R U L I N G
Khaleda Zia
China warns Taiwan
over new law governing
cross-strait relations
BEIJING: The Chinese gov-ernment warned Taiwan on Wednesday that the passage of a proposed new law governing re-lations between the two could se-riously damage the basis for talks, and that Beijing opposed any ob-stacles to developing ties.
China has looked on with sus-picion at Taiwan since Tsai Ing-wen and her pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won presidential and par-liamentary elections in January on the back of a wave of anti-Chi-na sentiment.
In 2014, hundreds of students occupied Taiwan’s parliament for weeks in protests nicknamed the Sunfl ower Movement, de-manding more transparency and fearful of China’s growing eco-nomic and political infl uence on the democratic island.
The protests over the 2013 Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement, which aimed to open up investment from both sides in industries such as banking, healthcare, and tourism, were the largest display of anti-China sen-timent in Taiwan in years.
The DPP is proposing Taiwan’s parliament fi rst passes a so-called cross-Taiwan Strait super-
vision law before it will consider agreeing to the trade pact.
WorriedChina is worried that the law would stymie future agreements with Taiwan.
Asked about the law, a spokes-man for China’s Taiwan Aff airs Offi ce said the basis for talks be-tween the two sides should not be damaged.
“Anything that damages the ba-sis for consultations and negotia-tions between the two sides of the strait, interferes in or impedes relevant progress or puts up man-made blocks on the development of ties, we will resolutely oppose,” spokesman An Fengshan said at a regular briefi ng.
He did not elaborate.The trade deal has stalled in
Taiwan’s parliament, although the manner in which the self-ruled island moves forward in the current February-to-May session will be seen as a sign of how Tsai will steer Taiwan-China ties. China’s trade minister last month urged Taiwan to pass the trade pact. China considers Taiwan a wayward province, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. - Reuters
P R O P O S A L
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WORLDT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
Migrant arrivals to Greece rise sharply despite deal
ATHENS: Arrivals of refugees and migrants to Greece from Tur-key rose sharply on Wednesday, just over a week since the Europe-an Union and Turkey struck a deal intended to cut off the fl ow.
Greek authorities recorded 766 new arrivals between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morn-ing, up from 192 the previous day. Most arrived on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos.
Italy reported an even larger jump in arrivals on Tuesday, when offi cials there said 1,350 people - mostly from Africa - were rescued from small boats taking the longer migration route over the Mediter-ranean as the weather warmed up.
The EU Commission said on Tuesday that the fl ows in the last week had reduced, with only 1,000 people arriving from Turkey on Greek islands, compared to an average of 2,000 a day in the last couple of months. It was not clear why numbers had dropped, but the Aegean Sea had been hit with bad weather and gale force winds, making the journey from Turkey on small rubber boats even more dangerous. Under the deal in ef-fect since March 20, migrants and refugees who arrive in Greece will be subject to being sent back once they have been registered and their individual asylum claim pro-
cessed. The returns are to begin from April 4. More than 51,000 refugees and migrants, among those Syrians, Afghans, Iraqis and other fl eeing confl ict in the Mid-dle East and Asia, are currently stranded in Greece following bor-der closures across the Balkans.
Nearly 6,000 people remain stuck at the country’s biggest port of Piraeus port near Athens, having arrived there on ferries from Greek islands close to Tur-
key before the deal. Scores have found shelter in passenger wait-ing lounges while hundreds more sleep in the open, either in fl imsy tents or on blankets spread on the dock. Queues for the few portable toilets are long, and scuffl es have broken out in recent weeks over mobile phone chargers and food distribution. International rights group Human Rights Watch has described conditions at the port, including basic hygiene, as “abys-
mal” and says the situation is akin to a “humanitarian crisis”.
Among those stranded in Pi-raeus on Wednesday was Mariam El Musa, a 37-year-old teacher from Aleppo, Syria. “The problem here is the psychology of the peo-ple,” she said. “People are angry and depressed because the borders are closed, because it takes ages to have a meal and because we are dirty, we can’t have a shower. We Syrians thought we would stay in
Greece for only two-three days.”A fellow Syrian hoping to reach
Holland, 24-year-old Haisam Mahli, has spent the last three weeks at the port, after landing on the Aegean island of Chios from Turkey a month ago. He plans to join a protest march to cen-tral Athens later on Wednesday against the EU-Turkey deal. “We will protest to parliament to help open the borders and improve conditions here,” he said. — Reuters
More than 51,000
refugees and
migrants are
currently stranded
in Greece following
border closures
across the Balkans
Trump vows to stand by campaign manager
WASHINGTON: US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday to stand by his campaign manager despite the aide’s arrest over a mis-demeanour battery charge, draw-ing criticism from rivals.
Trump, in a round of television interviews, played down the inci-dent involving a reporter and cam-paign manager Corey Lewandows-ki, 42, who was arrested in Florida on Tuesday.
Trump also stood by comments he made Tuesday night that he was abandoning his pledge to support whoever eventually wins the nom-ination to be the party’s presiden-tial candidate for the November 8 election.
Police in Jupiter, Florida, charged Lewandowski with in-tentionally grabbing and bruising the arm of Michelle Fields, then a reporter for the conservative news outlet Breitbart, when she tried to question Trump at a campaign event on March 8.
Trump and Lewandowski had both initially denied the incident occurred.
Trump, a New York real estate magnate, is front-runner to be the Republican nominee after run-ning an insurgent campaign that has alarmed many in the party establishment. Opponents have criticized not just his proposals on issues such as trade and immigra-tion but his streams of insults to-ward rivals and the aggressive tone of his rallies.
On Wednesday, Trump de-fended Lewandowski and went further to allege that the reporter had grabbed Trump. He said he was considering legal action in response. “I’m sure there will be a counter-claim coming down the line,” he told ABC News.
“She made up this story,” Trump added on NBC. He told Fox News that Lewandowski had likely grabbed the reporter “unknow-ingly.” — Reuters
D E S P I T E A R R E S T
Stray lion shot dead near NairobiNAIROBI: Kenyan wildlife rang-ers shot dead a stray male lion in the outskirts of Nairobi after it at-tacked and injured a local resident, the Kenya Wildlife Service said.
A mob had gathered around the lion, forcing the rangers to shoot it to avert further injuries, a spokes-man for the agency said.
“It had injured somebody. There was a crowd that had formed around it, so it was practi-
cally impossible to capture it the way we planned to,” Paul Udoto, communications manager for the wildlife service, told Reuters by phone. The lion was the third in recent weeks to stray from Nairo-bi National Park on the outskirts of the capital. No injuries were re-ported in the fi rst case on Febru-ary 19, but one man was injured in the second, on March 18.
Images on social media showed
the lion in the latest incident walking in a grassy area next to the fence of the national park around 9am local time.
“The mob had formed and in the process somebody got injured, and by the time the veterinary and security teams got to the ground it was already beyond salvation,” Udoto said. “With that commo-tion we risked more injuries or even possible deaths.” — Reuters
K E N Y A N W I L D L I F E
The lion was the third in recent weeks to stray from Nairobi National Park on the outskirts of the capital. No injuries were reported in the fi rst case on February 19, but one man was injured in the second, on March 18.
GENEVA: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on countries on Wednesday to re-settle nearly half a million Syrian refugees in the next three years, though only Italy, Sweden and the United States immediately announced con-crete plans to play a part.
Ban, at the start of a minis-terial conference hosted by the UN refugee agency UNHCR in Geneva, said: “This demands an exponential increase in global solidarity.”
The United Nations is aim-ing to re-settle some 480,000 refugees, about 10 per cent of those now in neighbouring countries, by the end of 2018, but concedes it is battling to overcome widespread fear and political wrangling.
Legal pathwaysBan urged countries to pledge new and additional legal pathways for admitting the refugees, such as resettlement or humanitarian admission, family reunions, as well as labour and study opportunities.
“Success at this high-level
meeting today will drive mo-mentum in the months ahead,” Ban told reporters, pointing to a series of upcoming confer-ences. Italy and Sweden were
among very few countries to make new concrete pledges to resettle refugees at the morn-ing session, an annual increase of some 1,500 and 3,000 refu-
gees respectively, but not all of them would be Syrians.
“Sweden has continued to provide a safe haven for people fl eeing the war and persecu-tion in Syria, as well as other parts of the world. Last year over 163,000 people, 51,000 of those from Syria, applied for asylum in our country - the highest number per capita in all of Europe,” said Sweden’s justice and migration minister Morgan Johansson.
US Deputy Secretary of State Heather Higginbottom said: “We have reviewed our resettlement procedures and are taking steps to shorten the timeline for resettlement with-out compromising the robust security screening procedures in place.
“We have signifi cantly increased the number of inter-viewing offi cials at our refugee processing centers in the region so that we can resettle at least 10,000 Syrian refugees by the end of September,” she said, referring to commitments al-ready announced by the Obama administration. — Reuters
UN secretary-general urges nations to resettle Syrian refugees
APPEAL: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ad-
dresses the meeting at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzer-
land, on Wednesday. – Reuters
A16
WORLDT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
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France drops plan to strip citizenship from terrorists
PARIS: President Francois Hol-lande on Wednesday abandoned plans to strip French nationality from people convicted of terror-ism, climbing down from a tough stance he took days after the No-vember attacks in Paris that killed 130 people.
Although a proposal popular with voters, and one that gave the Socialist president an opportu-nity to reach out to the right, the constitutional reform failed to fi nd the necessary support of both houses of parliament.
Hollande also abandoned a pro-posal to insert into the constitu-tion a set of rules governing a state of emergency, blaming the oppo-sition for torpedoeing his plans, even though some members of his own party had opposed them too.
Hostile“Parts of the opposition have been hostile to a revision of the con-stitution. I deplore this attitude,” Hollande said after a weekly cabi-net meeting. “I have decided to end this debate.”
The climbdown is likely to fur-ther damage Hollande’s already low chances of re-election in 2017, said Frederic Dabi at the pollster Ifop. “It’s going to revive the per-ception of a president who is not determined, who lacks authority,
whose hand is shaking,” Dabi said.“It also reinforces the feeling of
a term during which reforms have dragged on, got bogged down.”
A poll by Ipsos-Sopra Steria for Le Monde newspaper, conducted before Wednesday’s announce-ment but published on the same day, showed Hollande would get 16 per cent of the vote in the fi rst round of elections, down four points from a month ago.
That would put him in third place and out of the contest should he be standing against Marine Le Pen of the far-right National
Front on 27 per cent, and Nico-las Sarkozy of the mainstream right on 21 per cent. The passport initiative hit a big snag last week after the opposition-controlled upper house of parliament ap-proved a diff erent version from the one adopted by the Socialist-controlled lower house.
To change the constitution, the proposal needed to be approved by each house in exactly the same terms.
While the government’s version was meant to apply to any French person, the Senate sought to ad-
dress the fact that stateless per-sons cannot be expelled from the country, by restricting the law to those with dual nationality.
Critics say that would have cre-ated two categories of French citi-zens - those that could have their citizenship revoked and those that could not - something that they said could fuel racial tensions.
Putting forward his plan three days after the shootings and bombings of November 13, Hol-lande won a standing ovation at a rare joint meeting of both houses in the Palace of Versailles.
But after the shock of the at-tacks began to fade, many on the left of the ruling Socialist party criticised the measure.
The most spectacular con-sequence of the rift within the party was the resignation of Hol-lande’s justice minister, Chris-tiane Taubira. “The president is being dealt a blow by his own political friends,” a former prime minister and conservative sena-tor, Jean-Pierre Raff arin, said on iTele. “The president’s authority over his own troops is being chal-lenged.” — Reuters
Hollande proposed
measure days
after Paris
attacks, proposal
hit obstacles in
parliament over
workability
Canadianex-minister killed inplane crash
MONTREAL: Former Canadian Cabinet minister Jean Lapierre died on Tuesday in a plane crash that also killed his wife and three of his siblings on the way to his fa-ther’s funeral in eastern Quebec.
The provincial coroner said in a statement all seven people on board the aircraft were killed in the crash, including Lapierre’s wife, two of his brothers and a sister. The other two people killed were crew members, the state-ment said. The TVA network, for which Lapierre worked as a po-litical commentator, said his twin-engined chartered aircraft crashed in bad weather as it was coming in to land on the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
Lapierre, 59, had been traveling to the Iles de la Madeleine for the funeral of his 83-year-old father, it said. Photos from the scene showed the Mitsubishi plane ly-ing in several pieces in a snow-covered fi eld. Canada’s Transpor-tation Safety Board said it was investigating the crash but that, due to the bad weather, its team of experts would not reach the site until Wednesday. The ebullient Lapierre, known for his good hu-mour and animated style on air, made a second career in the media after serving as transport minister in Prime Minister Paul Martin’s Liberal government from July 2004 to February 2006.
He also acted as Martin’s lieu-tenant in the mostly French-speaking province. “We’re going to miss him terribly,” a visibly upset Martin told CTV television. “He was a very good political analyst, he was one of the best, but he was also a superb political fi gure in this country and it was a great privilege to work with him,” he said.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, who was in the Liberal caucus with Lapierre from 2004 to 2006, said his former colleague was a natural communicator and a good listener who loved politics. — Reuters
T R A G I C E N D
CLIMBDOWN: French army paratroopers patrol near the Eiff el tower in Paris, France, on Wednesday. French President Francois Hollande
also abandoned a proposal to insert into the constitution a set of rules governing a state of emergency. – Reuters
MARKEWWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COMT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6B
Muscat
5,467.36 - 73.54
- 1.33%
Dubai
3,311.53+ 36.42
+ 1.11%
Abu Dhabi
4,394.66+ 76.14
+ 1.76%
Saudi Arabia
6,220.78+ 43.94
+ 0.71%
Kuwait
5,257.20- 8.61
- 0.16%
Bahrain
1,139.95 - 22.22
- 1.91%
Qatar
10,306.29- 10.38
- 0.10%
CURRENCY RATES* DRAFT RATES (OMR1)* GOLD PRICES*Forex rates vs OMR1*
US Dollar ................................. 2.58
Euro ............................................ 2.27
Pound ........................................... 1.79
Indian Rs ............................. 172.09
Pakistan Rs ........................267.52
Bangla Taka....................... 201.01* Rates are as of Mar. 30
Source: Bank Muscat
Indian Rs ................................... 171.90
Pakistan Rs ............................. 271.80
Sri Lanka Rs ..................................N/A
Bangla Taka........................... 203.50
Phil Peso .................................... 119.55
* Rates as of Mar. 30 Source: Oman UAE Exchange
Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) .......15.80
Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) .......15.20
Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ............ 147.50
Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) .............138.50
* Rates as of Mar. 30
Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds
Type ............................Delivery...........Price
Oman Crude ............. (Spot) ........$35.20
Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) ........$35.20
Murban Crude ........ (Spot) .........$38.10
Arabian Light ......... (Spot) ........$34.20
N.Sea Brent ............... (Spot) ........$39.65
West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........$38.90
CRUDE OIL PRICE
DIGEST VIDEO
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Ominvest-led group to buy OAB’s investment division
Times News Service
MUSCAT: Oman International Development and Investment Company (Ominvest), together with its strategic partners Oman Investment Fund (OIF) and Arab Bank (Switzerland) (ABS), has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Oman Arab Bank (OAB), to acquire OAB’s Investment Banking Business (OABINVEST).
The deal is subject to satisfac-tory due diligence and necessary approvals from the regulators. With a successful track record spanning over two decades, OABI-NVEST is one of the largest asset managers in Oman. It serves lead-ing institutional and ultra-high net worth (HNW) clients and has a healthy pipeline of corporate fi -nance deals involving initial pub-lic off erings, debt placements and advisory mandates, according to a press release.
Fee-based incomeThe new shareholding structure of OABINVEST will comprise Ominvest 36 per cent, ABS 34 per cent and OIF 30 per cent, said AbdulAziz Al Balishi, group chief executive offi cer of Ominvest. Al Balushi added that Oman’s evolv-ing economy presents signifi cant opportunities for high-quality investment banking services and products. There has been an acute need for a larger local player with top-tier capabilities to eff ectively serve public and private sector clients.
Al Balushi said that this deal is also a major step towards building fee-based income sources for Om-
invest and further diversifying its revenue streams.
In the midst of challenging eco-nomic situation and diffi cult mar-ket conditions normally arise attractive business and invest-ment opportunities. This deal illustrates that a like-minded group of long-term value inves-tors is capitalising on such oppor-tunities and seizing the chance to buy and build profi table and du-rable businesses in keys sectors of the economy.
Prospective shareholders of OABINVEST intend to further grow this platform to create em-ployment opportunities for Om-ani nationals, help fi nance new ventures and create value for their stakeholders.
It is an encouraging develop-ment that foreign investors are demonstrating serious interest in buying Oman-based businesses, underpinning their confi dence in the potential of Omani market and commitment to partner with local institutional investors.
Nasri Malhame, chief execu-tive offi cer of Arab Bank (Swit-zerland), said that ABS is pleased to join hands with Ominvest and Oman Investment Fund to acquire
OABINVEST. He further said that ABS will provide strategic sup-port to OABINVEST in building a multi-asset operation covering in-ternational markets by scaling up OABINVEST’s resource base in regional and international set up.
Malhamé said that it was a great opportunity for ABS to contribute to the development of Oman’s economy and capital markets and that ABS stands to ultimately play an active role in the strategic posi-tioning of the business.
Global visionAn important aspect of this deal is that Oman Investment Fund, a major shareholder in Ominvest, is also co-investing in the transac-tion. Sheikh Hassan Al Nabhani, chief executive offi cer of Oman In-vestment Fund, stated that acqui-sition of OABINVEST is a major step towards realising their vision of creating a premier asset man-agement company out of Oman – with global reach and capabilities.
He expects the new OABI-NVEST to cater to the investment needs of major institutional in-vestors in Oman and across the region. Sheikh Hassan elaborated that OIF is highly supportive of
such platform acquisitions to create larger and more effi cient businesses under Ominvest’s um-brella, creating economies of scale and realising synergies amongst OIF’s major portfolio companies.
Oman Investment Fund has been focused on building highly competitive Omani institutions having profound impact on eco-nomic diversifi cation, creating high-quality durable jobs for local professionals, leading the private sector and ensuring sustainable development of the nation.
Oman Arab Bank, established in 1984, is one of the largest banks in Oman with a balance sheet of around OMR2 billion.
Amin Al Husseini, chief execu-tive offi cer of Oman Arab Bank, said that they were pleased to en-ter into an MoU with Ominvest-led consortium of highly reputed Omani and international institu-tional investors for the sale of its OABINVEST.
New shareholding
structure of
OABINVEST will
comprise Ominvest
36%, Arab Bank
(Switzerland)
34% and Oman
Investment Fund 30%
Bank credit grows 8.8% in Sultanate
Times News Service
MUSCAT: Oman’s commercial banks have achieved a year-on-year growth of 8.8 per cent in total credit at OMR18.44 billion by January-end, over the same period last year.
The incremental credit growth of all banks in absolute terms was OMR1,494.9 million, which is slightly lower than the growth fi g-ures last year, according to month-ly statistics released by the Central Bank of Oman.
Funding projectsThe demand for credit from the corporate sector is mostly for funding projects, which are either state-owned entities like Oman Oil Refi neries and Petroleum Indus-tries Company (Orpic) or semi-government fi rms.
Several state-owned fi rms are also looking at overseas markets for their long-term funding re-quirements. The pipeline of credit is still strong, which will continue for another two more quarters since local banks are also actively participating in syndicated loan facilities for project funding.
Total deposits of Omani banks also rose only by 2.2 per cent (OMR384.8 million) by end of January 2016 at OMR17.82 billion.
J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 6
Oman, India focus on deeper bilateral trade, investmentMOBIN MATHEW [email protected]
MUSCAT: Oman and India are focusing on expanding bilateral trade and investment, said the In-dian ambassador to the Sultanate.
“Our eff orts are very much fo-cused on increasing bilateral trade and investment,” Indira Mani Pandey, Indian ambassador, told Times of Oman on the sidelines of a Business-to-Business meeting here to promote bilateral exchang-es between the two countries.
“There is a huge untapped po-tential and this B2B meeting is a step in that direction,” he added.
According to the ambassador, Indian embassy is taking eff orts to make Indian companies aware of the opportunities in Oman and vice-versa.
“India is off ering immense op-portunities for doing business, in-cluding making investments,” the ambassador asserted.
He also pointed out that Indian economy is the only economy which has been growing at a fast pace of more than seven per cent. According to him, bilateral trade between India and Oman wit-nessed a decline last year.
“Last year, we have some de-cline in bilateral trade but that is because of the decline in the value of some products like petroleum and other commodities,” he said.
He also confi rmed that a del-egation from Federation of In-dian Export Organisation (FIEO) will be visiting next month for a meeting with their counterparts at Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI). “This meeting is just a beginning and we have lot of opportunities be-tween our countries,” he added.
Oman-India connectivityHe said that Oman has a good connectivity with India than any other country.
“Every week, we have fl ights available with more than 21,000 seats and 11 Indian destinations are connected with Muscat,” he added. “We also have a good con-nectivity among our ports. We can easily reach our destination in
two or three days,” he explained.He also said that recently Omani
enterprises signed agreements two manufacturing projects in India.
According to Suleiman Al Muk-eri, assistant director general of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Oman is a land of peace and opportunities. “Relationship between India and Oman is con-tinued to grow in a positive way and this B2B will enhance our bi-lateral exchanges,” he said.
According to Mohit Hans of FIEO, India is an emerging econ-omy. India has witnessed various levels of economic expansion along with countries like China, Russia, Mexico and Brazil,” Hans said.
“India’s cost-eff ective and labour-intensive economy and a strong manufacturing and export oriented industrial framework make it an attractive investment destination,” he added. Hans also pointed out that Oman is also an attractive market and is India’s largest trade and investment partner with exports worth $2.37 billion in 2014-15.
According to the delegates, this is a good initiative from the Indian Embassy in Oman. “This is a very good platform for Indian and Om-ani companies to fi nd out what are the opportunities available in both countries,” Palaniappan S, country manager of Kaar Tech-nologies, told Times Business’.
E X P A N D I N G T R A D E
HAVE YOUR SAY Send us your comments at facebook.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com [email protected]
Indira Mani Pandey, Indian
ambassador to the Sultanate.
– SHABIN E./Times of Oman
SPAIN’S GDP RISESSpain’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita rose to highest level since 2008 last year in a sign the country’s economy is improving. After plunging to the worst economic crisis since democracy returned in 1978. – Bloomberg News
B2
MARKETT H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
MUSCATSECURITIES MARKET
SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30
REGULAR MARKET .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................ 1,206,832 .......237,713..................... 65 ............0.195 ...........0.205 ...........0.190 ............0.197 ............. 0.187.............0.010 ............. 5.348 ................0.190 ..............0.190...................0.194 ...................39,400,000.........0.100
OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ..................................................... 31,878 ............. 13,971......................11 ........... 0.432 ...........0.440 ...........0.432........... 0.438 .............0.432 ........... 0.006 ............. 1.389 ................0.440..............0.432...................0.440 ..................26,499,000 .........0.100
OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST ...................................................................... 30,797 ............. 16,199........................8 ........... 0.526 ........... 0.528 ...........0.524........... 0.526 .............0.522 ........... 0.004 ............. 0.766 ................0.524..............0.524...................0.528................. 290,805,224 .......0.100
OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION .........................99,500 ............. 17,882......................12 ............0.180 ........... 0.180 ...........0.178 ........... 0.180 ............. 0.180 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.178 .............. 0.178...................0.180 ................... 17,107,200 .........0.100
OM0000001483 ............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 200,000........... 51,000........................6 ........... 0.255 ........... 0.255 ...........0.255 ........... 0.255 .............0.255 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.255 ..............0.252...................0.256..................376,069,225........0.100
OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN ...................................................... 72,017 ............... 7,263........................8 ............0.101 ........... 0.101............0.100 ............0.101 ............. 0.101 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.100 ..............0.100...................0.102 ..................202,031,592 .......0.100
OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE ............... 20,000 ...............3,920........................3 ............0.196 ........... 0.196 ...........0.196 ............0.196 ............. 0.196............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.196 .............. 0.196...................0.198 ...................39,200,000.........0.100
OM0000001962 ............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 186,714 .............11,445......................18 ........... 0.062 ........... 0.062 ...........0.061 ........... 0.061 ............. 0.061............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.061 .............. 0.061...................0.062 ..................12,636,234 .........0.100
OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING ..................................... 1,000 ...............1,900........................ 1 ........... 1.900 ........... 1.900 ...........1.900 ........... 1.900 .............1.900 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................1.900 ............. 0.000...................1.900..................180,500,000 .......0.100
OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 467,983 ........... 86,053..................... 30 ............0.184 ........... 0.184 ...........0.183 ........... 0.184 ............. 0.184 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.184 ..............0.182...................0.184 ................... 53,479,788 .........0.100
OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL .............................................. 50,000 ...............3,600........................6 ........... 0.072 ........... 0.072 ...........0.072........... 0.072 .............0.072 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.072 ..............0.072...................0.073...................12,600,000 .........0.100
OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER .................................................... 1,000 .................. 207........................ 1 ........... 0.207 ...........0.207 ...........0.207........... 0.207 .............0.207 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.207..............0.207...................0.210 .................. 139,701,698 ........0.100
OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS ........................................................186 .....................69........................ 1 ........... 0.370 ........... 0.370 ...........0.370 ........... 0.370 .............0.370 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.370 ..............0.364...................0.368...................19,425,000 .........0.100
OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 793,099 .........300,905......................31 ........... 0.382 ........... 0.382 ...........0.378 ........... 0.380 .............0.382 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.524 ...............0.380..............0.380...................0.382 .................948,575,098........0.100
OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 502,188 ............97,130..................... 43 ............0.191 ........... 0.195 ...........0.190 ............0.193 ............. 0.195............-0.002 ........... -1.026 ...............0.193 .............. 0.193...................0.195 ...................28,964,475 .........0.100
OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 3,459,286 ......276,640................... 146 ........... 0.080 ........... 0.081 ...........0.077 ........... 0.080 ............. 0.081............-0.001 ............-1.235................0.080..............0.080...................0.081 ................... 23,198,451 .........0.100
OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ........................96,490 ...............7,500........................9 ........... 0.079 ........... 0.079 ...........0.077 ........... 0.078 .............0.079 ...........-0.001 ........... -1.266 ...............0.077 ..............0.077...................0.078....................2,340,000 ..........0.100
OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ......................... 42,000 ...............5,964........................4 ............0.142 ........... 0.142 ...........0.142 ........... 0.142 ............. 0.144 ...........-0.002 ........... -1.389................0.142 ..............0.142...................0.144 ....................17,735,510..........0.100
OM0000001087 ............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 1,199,337 ....... 316,299..................... 62 ........... 0.267 ........... 0.267 ...........0.261 ........... 0.264 .............0.268 ...........-0.004 ............-1.493................0.261 ..............0.261...................0.262 ..................26,400,000 ........0.100
OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK .................................................................... 542,298 ...........94,902........................6 ............0.175 ........... 0.175............0.175 ............0.175 ............. 0.178 ............-0.003 ............-1.685 ................0.175 .............. 0.175...................0.180 ..................249,381,325 ........0.100
OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS ............................................................ 22,000 ...............6,952........................2 ............0.316 ........... 0.316 ...........0.316 ............0.316 .............0.322 ...........-0.006 ............-1.863................0.316 .............. 0.316...................0.320 ..................15,800,000 .........0.100
OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING .............84,970 ...............8,837........................8 ............0.101 ........... 0.105 ...........0.101 ........... 0.104 ............. 0.106 ...........-0.002 ............-1.887................0.104 ..............0.102...................0.105 ....................9,360,000 ..........0.100
OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ............ 324,170 ..........101,703..................... 49 ............0.318 ........... 0.318 ...........0.310 ........... 0.314 .............0.322 ...........-0.008 ........... -2.484 ...............0.310 ..............0.306...................0.312 ....................6,594,000 ..........0.100
OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 3,525,334 ...... 489,727...................108 ............0.140 ........... 0.142 ...........0.137 ............0.139 ............. 0.143............-0.004 ........... -2.797 ............... 0.141 ..............0.140................... 0.141 ..................220,396,176 ........0.100
OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING .............33,000 ...............3,333........................3 ............0.101 ........... 0.101............0.101 ............0.101 ............. 0.105............-0.004 ........... -3.810................0.101 .............. 0.101...................0.104................... 12,309,375 .........0.100
OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO.........................................................................15,000 ............ 10,800........................3 ............0.720 ........... 0.720 ...........0.720 ........... 0.720 ............. 0.760 ...........-0.040 ........... -5.263 ...............0.720 .............. 0.712...................0.720..................468,679,846 .......0.100
OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ..............................................................41,880 .............10,148........................5 ........... 0.242 ...........0.249 ...........0.242 .......... 0.242 .............0.263 ...........-0.021 ............-7.985................0.249............. 0.242...................0.249 .................411,206,739 ........0.100
.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 13,048,959 .......2,182,063 ............649 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......27........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING.................................. 265,155 .............20,712..................... 24 ........... 0.076 ...........0.080 ...........0.076 ........... 0.078 .............0.074 ........... 0.004 ............. 5.405 ................0.079 ..............0.078...................0.079....................5,866,224 ..........0.100
OM0000001400 ...........OMAN FLOUR MILLS .................................................30,225 ............. 15,103........................5 ........... 0.488 ...........0.502 ...........0.488 ........... 0.500 .............0.482 ............0.018 ............. 3.734 ................0.502..............0.486...................0.502 ..................78,750,000 .........0.100
OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 875,152 ............ 65,294......................31 ........... 0.074 ........... 0.075 ...........0.073 ........... 0.075 .............0.073 ........... 0.002 ............. 2.740 ................0.075 ..............0.074...................0.075 ..................112,500,000 ........0.100
OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK.............................................. 642,217 ........... 38,242......................21 ........... 0.059 ...........0.060 ...........0.059 ........... 0.060 .............0.059 ............0.001 ............. 1.695 ................0.060..............0.060...................0.061 ...................60,000,000 ........0.100
OM0000001301 ............DHOFAR CATTLE FEED .......................................... 499,561.......... 114,899........................3 ........... 0.230 ...........0.230 ...........0.230........... 0.230 .............0.230 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.230..............0.230...................0.000 .................. 17,710,000 .........0.100
OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. ................... 62,400 ...............2,102........................5 ........... 0.034 ........... 0.034 ...........0.033 ........... 0.034 .............0.034 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.033 ..............0.033...................0.034 ...................2,890,000 ..........0.100
OM0000001939 ............NAT. PHARMACEUTICAL IND. ......................................20 ....................... 2........................ 1 ............0.110 ........... 0.110............0.110 ............0.110 ............. 0.110 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.110 .............. 0.110...................0.000 ...................5,500,000 ..........0.100
OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 112,283 .............16,214......................11 ............0.145 ........... 0.145 ...........0.143 ........... 0.144 ............. 0.145............-0.001 ........... -0.690 ...............0.143 .............. 0.143...................0.144 .................. 210,614,610 ........0.100
OM0000001590 ............MUSCAT FINANCE ......................................................10,270 ............... 1,186........................2 ............0.115 ........... 0.116 ............ 0.115 ............0.115 ............. 0.118 ............-0.003 ........... -2.542 ............... 0.116 .............. 0.116................... 0.119 ...................30,672,292 .........0.100
OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES .......................................................63,500 ...............3,636........................5 ........... 0.058 ........... 0.058 ...........0.057 ........... 0.057 .............0.059 ...........-0.002 ........... -3.390 ...............0.057 ..............0.057...................0.058.................... 7,125,000 ..........0.100
.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 2,560,783 ...... 277,389...................108 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......10........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
BONDS AND SUKUK MARKET ...................................................................................................................................................................... OM0000005971 ............B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5 ..................... 10,434 .................. 958........................4 ............0.091 ........... 0.092 ...........0.091 ........... 0.092 .............0.090 ........... 0.002 .............2.222 ................0.092..............0.092...................0.099...................29,822,868 .........0.100
OM0000004867 ...........BANK MUSCAT C C B 4.5 ..............................................8,651 ...................891........................4 ............0.103 ........... 0.103 ...........0.102 ........... 0.103 .............0.102 ............0.001 ............. 0.980 ................0.102 ..............0.102...................0.106 ...................32,923,196 .........0.100
.............................................SUM: .................................................................................... 19,085 ...............1,849........................8 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 2........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
ISIN ......................................SECURITY NAME .................................................................. VOLUME ..... TURNOVER ............TRADES ......OPEN PRICE ......HIGH ............. LOW ........ CLOSE PR. ...PREV. CLOSE...DIFF (RO).........DIFF % ............. LAST PR .....LAST BID .............LAST OFFER ........MARKET CAP .PAR VALUE
O M A N S T O C K S
INDICESIndex .................................................High .................Low ..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff %MSM30 Index ....................................... 5,540.90 ...............5,465.31 ....................5,467.36 ...................5,540.90 ................-73.54 .................. -1.33Financial Index ..................................... 7,037.62 .............. 6,944.12 ...................6,944.22 ................... 7,034.46 ............... -90.24 .................. -1.28Industrial Index ....................................6,691.93 ...............6,677.34 ....................6,691.61 ...................6,693.40 ...................-1.79 .................. -0.03Services Index ...................................... 3,108.22 .............. 3,088.99 ................... 3,089.02 ................... 3,107.86 ................-18.84 .................. -0.61MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................846.36 ..................841.22 ...................... 842.22 ......................844.54 ..................-2.32 .................. -0.27
Trading SummaryVolume ................ Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up ............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded15,628,827 ..................2,461,301 .....................765 ............... 16,439,775,944 .................. 9 ......................17 .................... 13 .........................39
MSM ends in red zone
MUSCAT: Dividend stripping on index heavyweights weighed on the MSM 30 Index which closed at 5,467.36 points, down by 1.33 per cent. The MSM Sharia Index declined by 0.27 per cent to close at 842.22 points.
Bank Sohar was the most ac-tive in terms of volume and turn-over. Al Hassan Engineering, up 5.41 per cent, was the top gainer while BankDhofar was the day’s top loser, down by 7.98 per cent.
As many as 765 trades were executed on Wednesday, generat-ing turnover of OMR2.4 million with 15.6 million shares changing hands. Out of 39 traded securi-ties, nine advanced, 17 declined and 13 remained unchanged. Omani investors were net buy-ers for OMR418,000 while for-eign investors were net sellers for OMR312,000 followed by GCC and Arab investors for OMR106,000 worth of shares.
Financial Index retreated by 1.28 per cent to end at 6,944.22 points. Global Financial Invest-
ment, Bank Nizwa, Al Izz Bank and Ominvest gained by 5.35 per cent, 2.74 per cent, 1.69 per cent and 0.77 per cent, respectively. BankDhofar, Oman & Emirates Holding, Bank Sohar, Muscat Fi-nance and Al Sharqia Investment slid by 7.98 per cent, 3.81 per cent, 2.80 per cent, 2.54 per cent and 1.89 per cent, respectively.
Industrial Index remained stable at 6,691.61 points, down by 0.03 per cent. Al Hassan En-gineering, Oman Flour Mills and Voltamp Energy increased by 5.41 per cent, 3.73 per cent and 1.39 per cent, respectively. Oman Fisher-ies, Gulf International Chemicals, Al Jazeera Steel and Galfar Engi-neering declined by 3.39 per cent, 2.48 per cent, 1.39 per cent and 1.23 per cent, respectively.
Services Index ended nega-tively at 3,089.02 points, down by 0.61 per cent. Ooredoo, National Gas and Phoenix Power declined by 5.26 per cent, 1.86 per cent and 0.69 per cent, respectively.
- Bloomberg News
Al Hassan Engineering, up 5.41 per cent, was
the top gainer while BankDhofar was the day’s
top loser, down by 7.98 per cent.
Sensex zooms 438 points; rupee gains againMUMBAI: Sensex surged ahead by 438.12 points to regain the psy-chological 25,000-level to fi nish 25,338.58, while the broader Nifty recaptured the key 7,700-mark fol-lowing heavy buying by funds and retailers after United States Fed-eral Reserve dovish signal soothed nerves of World stock market.
Barring Telecom segment which saw slight profi t-booking, buying in key frontline shares led realty, metal, banks, capital goods, industrials, utilities, power, IT, healthcare, oil and gas and infra
sectors, while broader midcap and smallcap shares also witnessed strong buying activity.
The 30-share Sensex opened gap-up at 25,062.06 and traded between a high of 25,358.84 and a low of 25,055.42 before ending at 25,338.58, showing a rally of 438.12 points, or 1.76 per cent.
The 50-share Nifty too ended higher at 7,735.20, climbed by 138.20 points, or 1.82 per cent.
Stockwise, shares of Tata Steel rallied 6.75 per cent on government extending safeguard duty of up to
20 per cent on certain steel prod-ucts for domestic industry against cheaper import from China, while recently battered Pharma major Lupin gained by 5.21 per cent and ICICI Bank surged 6.31 per cent.
Rupee appreciatesThe rupee continued its upward march against the American cur-rency for the fourth trading day, surging by another 17 paise to close at 3-month high at 66.37 per dollar on sustained selling of dol-lars by banks and exporters. - PTI
I N D I A N M A R K E T S
PDO supports Omani fi rm to make pipeline accessoriesTimes News Service
MUSCAT: Oman’s fi rst factory specialising in the manufacture of cleaning and inspection tools and products for pipelines has been opened in Sohar with the support of Petroleum Develop-ment Oman (PDO).
The workshop has been de-signed to supply not only Oman but also to export to neighbouring countries, said a company release. It will lead to In-Country Value (ICV) opportunities through the employment of Omanis, the transfer of technology and the production of vital equipment in the Sultanate.
LiN SCAN Oman is a joint ven-ture between UAE-based LiN SCAN International and local community contractor Shaher United Trading and Contracting Company, a 100 per cent Omani fi rm, which off ers a range of ser-vices, including electrical engi-neering, plumbing and excavation.
LiN SCAN International has been serving the oil and gas indus-try worldwide providing in-line inspection and integrity support services for more than a decade. It possesses a huge fl eet of clean-ing, gauging and intelligent equip-ment designed for the cleaning and inspection of pipelines. All of it is designed and fabricated in-house and covers the full range of pipeline diameters.
The opening of the factory on the Sohar Industrial Estate will enable the manufacture of such tools, accessories and pipeline intelligent inspection spare parts for the fi rst time in Oman.
A number of PDO representa-tives attended the offi cial inaugu-ration of the plant, including ICV development manager Moham-med Al Ghareebi and ICV opera-
tions manager Khalfan Al Busaidy.“This is a great ICV manu-
facturing milestone in Oman. PDO and other operators, both at home and abroad, can now procure vital equipment clean-ing, maintenance and inspection from a local manufacturer work-ing to international standards and specifi cations. Additionally, this manufacture will create work opportunities for Omanis,” said Abdul-Amir Al Ajmi, external af-fairs and value creation director at PDO.
Local supply chain“PDO has worked hand-in-hand with LiN SCAN Oman guiding and supporting them to set it up and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved for their sterling work to deliver ICV across PDO so that more of the wealth of our industry is retained in the Sul-tanate. Having a reliable and pro-fessional local supply chain makes good business sense, especially in the current challenging low oil
price environment.”“We have committed to ICV
and delivered on it. We also be-lieve that the Ministry of Oil and Gas and the oil and gas sector are seriously committed to ICV. With close collaboration, we can indeed achieve the ICV strategic goals in terms of job creation and bringing capability and technol-ogy in-country,” added Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Al Bathari, Director of LiN SCAN Oman.
“Thus, we would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks and sincere gratitude to PDO and its ICV and pipeline teams for their outstanding and unfailing support from the outset until inauguration moment which refl ects their ICV leading role not only in the oil and gas sector, but across the Sultanate at large.”
“Pipeline Intelligent Inspec-tion and Pigging Technology” is one of 53 oil and gas industry ICV opportunities which were identi-fi ed in the ICV blueprint strategy conference at the end of the 2013.
S O H A R F A C T O R Y
IT’S OPEN: Oman’s fi rst factory specialising in the manufacture
of cleaning and inspection tools and products for pipelines was
opened in Sohar with the support of Petroleum Development
Oman. - Supplied picture
B3T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
MARKET
Kuwait, Saudi agree to restart joint oil fi eld
RIYADH: Kuwait agreed with Saudi Arabia to resume produc-tion at an off shore oil fi eld shared by the two Opec members, the of-fi cial Kuwaiti news agency report-ed, without giving a specifi c time for the restart.
The two countries are preparing to start maintenance at Khafj i, Ku-wait News Agency reported, citing the nation’s acting oil minister, Anas Al Saleh, speaking in parlia-ment. Production will start ini-tially in “small quantities, which would be increased taking into consideration environmental con-cerns” before returning to normal levels, according to Kuna.
Production at Khafj i halted in October 2014 because of environ-mental concerns.
Opec meetingThe plan to restart Khafj i comes as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are set to attend a meeting of Opec members and other producers in Doha, Qatar, next month to discuss a proposed freeze in output. The participants including Russia are seeking to prop up prices that have slumped since mid-2014.
“I’m skeptical until I see some confi rmation from the Saudi side or some signs that work is being done at the fi eld,” said Robin Mills, chief executive offi cer at Qamar Energy in Dubai. The plan to re-start Khafj i won’t aff ect the Doha meeting because production prob-ably won’t have started in major quantities by then, Mills said.
Production in the shared area between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia reached 600,000 barrels a day in 2011, including output from Khafj i and the onshore Wafra fi eld, ac-cording to data. - Bloomberg News
C R U D E O I L Sultanate’s five projects win accolades at quality awards
Times News Service
MUSCAT: Oman achieved a ma-jor breakthrough when fi ve of its highest quality projects were named national winners at the MEED Quality Awards for Pro-jects, in association with Mashreq.
With a combined project value of $350 million, national winners from Oman include the Muttawar Omani Company’s Lamar Bausher Muttawar residential develop-ment project (nominated by Lars-en & Toubro) as Residential Pro-ject of the Year; Public Authority of Electricity and Water Sultanate of Oman’s construction of emergen-cy water storage reservoirs project as Power and Water Project of the Year and Al Taher Group’s Oman Avenues Mall-stage 2 project (en-tered by SAM Engineering) as Re-tail Project of the Year.
The other two projects are Lycee Francaise De Mascate’s
construction of New French School, Muscat project ( jointly nominated by 23 Degrees North and SAM Engineering) as Social, Culture & Heritage Project of the Year; and Muscat Municipality’s design and construction of un-derpasses and fl yovers Darsait-Al Wadi Al Kabir Road (entered by Larsen & Toubro) as Transport Project of the Year.
John Iossifi dis, executive vice president, Group Head of Cor-porate and Investment Banking at Mashreq which is the head-line sponsor of the awards says, “Oman’s construction industry is projected to exhibit sustainable growth prospects in the next few
years. This industry experienced enormous investments from the public and private enterprises during the past few years and there are optimistic signs that this will continue. We congratulate all the winners for delivering and contributing towards the growth and sustainability of the industry.”
Evaluation of projectsThis is Oman’s best performance in the awards, with fi ve projects winning the national winner ac-colade compared to only three in last year’s edition. They will now compete at the regional level against national winners from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emir-ates for GCC-wide recognition in various categories.
“The projects were evaluated by an esteemed judging panel against criteria that included not only en-gineering and construction excel-lence; but also sustainability and innovation,” says Richard Thomp-son, editorial director at MEED.
“They are a testament to the quality of projects being built throughout the Gulf and MEED is honoured to be able to recognise these achievements to highlight their contribution towards the fu-ture development of the projects industry in the region,” added Richard Thompson.
The winners of the 2016 MEED Quality Awards for Projects, in as-sociation with Mashreq will be an-nounced at a ceremony on May 25 that will serve as the culmination of the MEED Construction Lead-ership Summit, a high-level gath-ering of the Gulf’s construction leaders, which seeks to promote open dialogue between stakehold-ers to explore the strategic direc-tion of the construction industry.
This is Oman’s best
performance in the
awards, with fi ve
projects winning
the national winner
accolade compared
to only three in last
year’s edition
Boeing plans to cut 4,000 jobs soonCHICAGO: Boeing plans to cut about 4,000 jobs from its com-mercial airplanes division by mid-year as part of a broader ef-fort to reduce costs amid fi erce competition from Airbus.
The United States planemaker doesn’t plan any involuntary lay-off s, for now. Rather, the savings will come from 1,600 workers who elected to leave the company under a voluntary programme announced last month, Marc Birtel, a Boeing spokesman, said by e-mail. Another 2,400 posi-tions are either vacant or will be shed through attrition.
The commercial airplane di-vision, which accounted for 68 per cent of Boeing’s 2015 profi t, is also fl attening its manage-ment structure to create a “more streamlined and nimble organi-sation that can respond to mar-ketplace demands,” he said.
The eff ort to revamp Boeing’s sprawling commercial jetliner manufacturing unit comes as new chief executive offi cer Dennis
Muilenburg starts to make his mark at Boeing.
Muilenburg used cost-cutting measures to bolster profi ts in an era of constrained defense spend-ing in a previous role as chief of Boeing’s defence unit.
The company is also looking beyond labor for savings. Boe-ing is renegotiating supplier contracts, consolidating pro-grammes, slashing business trav-el and working to boost produc-tivity, quality and reduce excess inventory, Birtel said.
The number of job cuts could ultimately be eff ected by the suc-cess of those initiatives.
While the planemaker earned record revenue of $96.1 billion in 2015 and delivered 762 commer-cial planes, the most in its history, its adjusted profi t fell 13 per cent to $7.74 billion from a year earlier. Contributing to the decline: ac-counting losses related to the de-velopment of KC-46 tanker and declining 747 programmes.
– Bloomberg News
C O S T - C U T T I N G
Oman selects Lockheed’s solution for Muscat, Salalah international airportsTimes News Service
MUSCAT: To support the ambi-tious growth plans of both Muscat and Salalah international airports as well as Oman Air, Oman Air-ports Management Company (OAMC) has agreed a seven-year contract with US-based aero-space and security giant Lock-heed Martin for its suite of Beon-tra forecasting solutions.
Having welcomed more than 10 million passengers to Muscat Inter-national airport in 2015, OAMC is on the way to achieving its vision of becoming a top 20 global airport by 2020 having demonstrated impres-sive 18 per cent year-on-year growth.
“We achieved record growth last year surpassing 10 million pas-sengers for the fi rst time. To help us continue this trend, we wanted to work with a partner who has a global reputation for product in-novation, successful delivery and fi rst-class support. The team at
Lockheed Martin absolutely fi ts each criteria,” said Aimen Ahmed Al Hosni, chief executive offi cer of Oman Airports Management Company, after the signing of the
agreement at Passenger Terminal Expo in Cologne, Germany.
Oman Airports Management Company will use the Beontra tools, B Tactical and B Strategic,
to forecast and eff ectively manage the impact of this steep growth curve on both strategic planning and day-to-day operations and will help the airports generate accurate resource plans to ensure passenger experience is never compromised.
Among top 20 airportsThe Beontra suite used for airports around the globe will play a key role to support decision-making and will enable greater collabora-tion between the commercial and operational departments to opti-mise existing infrastructure.
“OAMC has a single-minded vision of becoming one of the world’s top 20 airports by the end of the decade. It’s an impressive objective and I have no doubts that our team will have a positive im-pact on how Oman Airports Man-agement Company achieves its goal,” added Mark Cooper, manag-ing director (Transportation) at Lockheed Martin.
A V I A T I O N
MAGNIFICENT: The fi ve winning companies from Oman will now compete at the regional level against national winners from Bahrain,
Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for GCC-wide recognition in various categories. - Supplied picture
AGREEMENT SIGNED: The Oman Airports Management Company
has agreed a seven-year contract with United States-based aero-
space and security giant Lockheed Martin for its suite of Beontra
forecasting solutions. – Supplied picture
HAVE YOUR SAY Send us your comments at facebook.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com [email protected]
B4 T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
Japan’s home rooftops are emerging as
the next hot spot in what for years has
been one of the big-gest solar markets in
the world, marking a move beyond the util-
ity- scale projects in rich industrial nations that
have fueled most of the in-dustry’s growth.
Because of the change, Japan may not remain the second leading solar market
behind C hina beyond next year, according to Bloomberg
New Energy Finance forecasts. Developing nations such as
China, Brazil, Egypt and India will pick up the slack as photo-
voltaics move beyond a toy of rich industrial nations into a competi-
tive power source for places where it’s costly to import fossil fuels.
The government in Tokyo is en-couraging more energy-effi cient
buildings that combine solar panels with some form of storage and other
devices like fuel cells. That change also underscores what happens when
authorities curtail incentives that have spawned sprawling projects, each cover-ing acres of countryside.
“The market will be shifting from me-ga-solar to rooftops” because of the lack of
large, open spaces, said Izumi Kaizuka, head of the research division at RTS Corp., a solar
research company in Tokyo. “As the tariff gets further reduced, the market will focus more on
how to use solar power on site.”Shocked by the atomic meltdown in Fukush-
ima after the earthquake in 2011, Japan lavished some of the most generous incentives on cleaner
alternatives. Solar capacity surged sevenfold to 37 gigawatts in the four years ending in 2015, accord-
ing to BNEF, a London-based industry researcher.Buoyed by the incentives, growth is set to peak
with 14 gigawatts of new installations forecast this year before beginning to taper off as enticements
are cut back, BNEF says. By comparison, China’s growth in photovoltaics is expected to remain steady,
leaving it the biggest solar market, with 19 gigawatts of additions this year, 21 gigawatts in 2017 and 23.5 gi-
gawatts the following year, BNEF says. By 2018, Japan may not even rank among the top fi ve markets world-wide, according to the forecaster, which says its esti-
mates may be too pessimistic.
Cut in incentivesBeginning next month, solar farms in Japan will become
much less attractive to develop. Tariff s paid for power from the projects will drop to as much as 40 per cent below where they
were four years ago after a government decision designed to pass the impact of lower system costs through to energy consumers.
Solar installations may fall 19 per cent in 2017 compared with the previous year, then another 85 per cent in 2018 to just 1.7 giga-
watts during a year when no utility-scale projects are expected to come online, according to BNEF data. Kaizuka of RTS said Japan’s
market probably peaked last year with 11 gigawatts of added capacity and RTS is projecting a more gradual decline.
Still, industry ex-ecutives say they’re hopeful an abrupt drop-off can be avoided.
For the utility-scale projects that spearhead-ed the recent expansion, the peak may come in the three years through March 2017, according to Yuichiro Kawabe, who heads the new energy promotion department of Shinsei Bank Ltd., which has been providing project fi nance loans for solar.
The driver will be a rule change that is expected to prompt devel-opers to complete their projects as quickly as possible, he said. Develop-ers who have already won project ap-proval but haven’t secured grid access before April 2017 will need to get a sec-ond approval from the trade ministry.
Market to stabiliseJapan has authorised many more solar projects than developers have been able to complete to date. Of the 80 gigawatts ap-proved since July 2012, only 24 gigawatts have begun generating power. The govern-ment intends to get 7 per cent of Japan’s elec-tricity from photovoltaics by 2030, which will require 64 gigawatts of capacity, according to trade ministry fi gures released in July 2015 when the government set out its long-term ambi-tions for fuel use.
“The market will gradually become stable” at about 4.5 gigawatts a year around 2020, said Kaizu-ka of RTS. Residential panels will account for about a half of that.
The system where feed-in tariff s are off ered to any developer whose projects qualify has led to quick booms in installations from Germany to Spain along with other markets where it’s been tried.
Panel makers in Japan such as Kyocera Corp. and Sharp Corp. saw a dramatic pickup in their solar sales af-ter the system started there. “A few years ago, we were able to sell more and more panels,” said Ichiro Ikeda, who is in charge of solar energy marketing at Kyocera Corp., a Kyoto-based maker of panels and electronic equipment. “There were even times we didn’t have enough supply.”
But times are changing. Major panel makers are branching out, developing and off ering such products as fuel cells and stor-age batteries. Sharp, for example, is now focusing its energy busi-ness on “energy solutions” and has withdrawn from solar panel production outside Japan.
The market related to smart house and zero-energy homes is projected to grow to nearly 1.2 trillion yen ($10.7 billion) by fi scal 2020 from 865 billion yen in fi scal 2013, according to a 2014 report by Yano Research Institute Ltd. The segment includes seven types of equipment, including solar panels, fuel cells, and smart meters.
“The fundamental challenge for these players is to off er prod-ucts and services consumers want at prices consumers are will-ing to pay,” Ali Izadi-Najafabadi, a Tokyo-based analyst for BNEF, said by e-mail. – Bloomberg News
thw
b
FEATURE
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Splash showcases its new summer collection
MUSCAT: This season Splash embraces the other end of the style spectrum and celebrate the resurgence of Maximalism. Al-lowing your eclectic side to break loose, you open up the possibilities to think big and experiment with your sartorial choices.
Titled ‘Splash Fashion Xcess’, the summer 2016 fashion show brought together colour, embellish-ments, textures topped with grunge inspiration. Splash Fashion Xcess’ Show, which was held in Asater, At-lantis Palm Jumeirah, proved to be a big draw, according to a press re-lease. With two sub stories - Mod Maximalism and Grunge Maxi-malism taking centrestage, a little bit of everything seems just about
the right way to enter the season. What you get in the collection is
a modern hybrid between neat de-signs with a maximalist edge.
Exploring a new venue with Asater, the guests were welcomed into a pre-function area which was nothing short of a feast to the sens-es. A walk through the tunnel with multicoloured heart facets, one was immediately transported to an eclectic dimension. Adorned with mirrors and raw bulbs on either side, the replication of things ex-emplifi ed the Maximalism theme.
The pre-party zone complete with archways and elements in-spired by the grunge culture like metal chains set the mood for the show. The energy was palpable with trap and dubstep tunes creat-ing an electric ambience.
Making way into the runway dotted with LED screens, one was able to get a glimpse of the theme through a lucid graphic display.
The collection presented on the runway will be available from April 15 in stores while most looks from the catwalk will be avail-able on www.landmarkshops.com/splash. You can revisit moments from the show visiting Splash Fa-cebook page - Splash Fashions.
The two dominant trends featured at summer ’16 fashion show were:
Mod Maximalism: Catering to a set of sophisticated individuals this collection comprises tailored and oversized silhouettes.• Fabrics include linen, denim
and cotton.
• Key pieces include suits, dis-tressed denims and long tees.
• Colours range from pastels to summer darks.
Grunge Maximalism• Youth centric with dominant
presence of denim, embellish-ments, biker stud details.
• Women make a strong statement in suits sets, skater skirts, asym-metric dresses with eyelet details.
• This trend will see colours like gold, gun metal black.
• Distressed denim and a grunge aspect including chain detailing, sequins, studs.
• Fabrics array from net, denim and iridescent material.
• Prints are big too with colour blocking, print on print and polka dots for women.
Titled ‘Splash
Fashion Xcess’,
the summer 2016
fashion show brought
together colour,
embellishments,
textures topped with
grunge inspiration
OUIC honoured best leading insurance company in OmanMUSCAT: Oman United Insur-ance Company (OUIC), one of the leading insurance compa-nies in Oman, was recently hon-oured as the best leading insur-ance company in the Sultanate of Oman by the International Standards Organisation.
The award was presented to Sayyid Nassir bin Salim Al Busaidi, managing director of OUIC, by Abdul Khalid Raouf, the chairman of General Arab In-surance Federation (GAIF) dur-ing the International Economic Forum for Banking & Insurance Risk Management event held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,
says a press release.
Established in 1985Oman United Insurance Com-pany, established in 1985, serves the Oman’s insurance industry which cater motor insurance, fi re insurance, personal acci-dent, travel insurance, life and medical insurance, workmen’s compensation insurance, ma-rine hull and cargo, machinery insurance, Himaya Plan (do-mestic worker) and credit life insurance.
OUIC has also maintained the BBB stable outlook by Standard & Poor’s Rating Services Agency.
O M A N U N I T E D I N S U R A N C E C O M P A N Y
MUSCAT: Oman Arab Bank (OAB) recently brought its offi cial social media channels online to ensure customers and members of the public can stay connected to the bank at all times at their own convenience. Within the fi rst month since launch, OAB attract-ed over 5,000 followers on Face-book and over 500 on Instagram, according to a press release.
OAB can now be reached di-rectly through popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and
YouTube. Customers can benefi t from the bank’s enhanced pres-ence, engage through many digital channels and learn about its latest developments on the go including new products and services as well as network updates.
New corporate website“I am confi dent that our recently introduced social media channels will prove invaluable to customers as they can now reach out to us in real-time wherever they may be at a click of a button,” said Amin Al
Husseini, chief executive offi cer of Oman Arab Bank. “We are also fi -nalising the bank’s new corporate website which we plan on launch-ing very soon to enrich the OAB digital experience further.”
Since its inception, OAB has consistently expanded its reach to meet customers’ various require-ments in the best way possible. Today, the bank has a compre-hensive online footprint that is supported by over 65 strategically located branches and 123 ATMs and CDMs.
R E A C H I N G O U T
MEC hosts electronic engineering forum
MUSCAT: Middle East College (MEC) organised the 6th Elec-tronic Engineering Forum from March 28 to 30 to gather innova-tors and entrepreneurs.
Dignitaries from the govern-ment and private sectors, and stu-dents and faculty members from educational institutions across the country attended the vari-ous activities during the forum. It aimed to generate awareness among school students and stu-dents in higher education in the Sultanate of Oman about the sig-nifi cance of innovation and entre-preneurship, says a press release.
The forum focused on innova-tion and entrepreneurship in its 6th version where a range of ac-tivities and workshops were or-ganised in various areas.
Hilal Al Siyabi, an Omani in-ventor who has about 152 inven-tions to his credit, presented a workshop on ‘Turn Your Idea into a Product’. Moreover, other work-shops were presented on topics related to innovations and Elec-tronic Engineering like ‘Arduino Programming’ workshop which was presented by the Arab Lab Institute, and ‘Raspberry Pi Pro-gramming’ workshop presented by the Engineering Village Club.
In addition, a robot contest was held during the inauguration ceremony where participants competed in the two categories of the contest, ‘Challenge’ and ‘Idea and Answer’. The contest aimed
to create a challenging environ-ment for the competitors to mo-tivate them towards fi nding in-novative technical solutions for the community’s issues.
Yahya Al Balushi, Faculty, Electronics and Communica-tions Engineering Department and a supervisor of the Electron-ics Club at MEC, commented: “As we celebrate the 6th forum this year, I’m very happy that we have continued to host this successful event. This year’s forum aimed to promote inno-vations and entrepreneurship which included different activi-ties and workshops organised in these areas in order to give all the participants a chance to discuss their ideas and solutions for all the society’s issues.
“Being the president of the Electronics Club at MEC and one of the organisers of the forum, let
me add that we started working and planning for it quite a few months in advance to ensure that we successfully meet our targets. The main goal of this forum is to motivate the students to apply what they learn in what serves our country through innovative ideas and solutions.”
Aysha Saleh Al Azri, a student in Electronics and Communica-tions Engineering Programme, and the President of Electronics Club at MEC said, “It is worth mentioning that MEC off ers the electronics and communications engineering programme along with other programmes in the engineering fi eld for students who are seeking to specialise in this area. In addition, it provides opportunities for students to im-prove their knowledge, talents and skills through the 18 diff erent student clubs.”
G E N E R A T E S A W A R E N E S S
Hoehler+Partner announces offi cial name change to Hoehler+AlSalmy
MUSCAT: Hoehler+Partner (H+P) Architects and Engineers, an Omani-German joint venture, an-nounced an offi cial name change to Hoehler+AlSalmy (H+S), incorpo-rating the name of Muhammad Al Salmy, the managing director and lead partner, says a press release.
Ernst Hoehler, partner and rep-resentative of Hoehler+Partner (Germany) remarked, “Hoehler+Partner are known worldwide for our vision and crea-tive contributions to architecture. In Oman, we have established a niche for ourselves by delivering a number of landmark projects and Muhammad Al Salmy has been the driving force behind these success stories. His experience echoes the best of Omani talent with a global perspective – bringing in the best of both worlds for the benefi t of our clients. We are proud to recog-nise his achievements and offi cial-ly rename our Oman enterprise as Hoehler+AlSalmy.”
Founded in Muscat in 2009, Hoehler+AlSalmy (H+S), have be-come a leading name in the Omani architecture and design scene ow-
ing to their ability to create mod-ern, sustainable designs inspired by the Sultanate and its rich cul-ture. This name change refl ects the success of the company’s op-erations in Oman and underscores the increasing role played by the Omani architects and designers within the fi rm.
Muhammad bin Sultan Al Salmy was the youngest Omani architect to establish an international ar-chitectural fi rm in the Sultanate of Oman at the age of 29. Muham-mad gained his Bachelor of Archi-tecture degree in 2003 at Oklaho-ma USA and began his Ph.D. in the conservation and preservation of historic sites in Oman. He became the managing director/partner of Hoehler+AlSalmy (H+S) Oman in 2009; the fi rst Omani-German partnership of its kind. “My jour-ney with Hoehler+AlSalmy (H+S) has been aimed towards making the Sultanate of Oman home to iconic architecture with a keen eye on sustainability and innova-tion. We are constantly working towards growing and nurturing a culture of bright, inspired Omani
architects,” Muhammad said dur-ing the announcement.
Muhammad solely nurtured H+S to grow from one man in 2009, to over 30 architects, project man-
agers and engineers by 2012. His commitment to unique and inno-vative ecofriendly designs is what gained the trust of the key clients both locally and internationally,
enabling him to win numerous contracts for highly prestigious projects - some of which include the conference and exhibition hall at GUtech, the University of Burai-mi, the Porsche Centre Muscat, the German Embassy in Muscat, the Jawad Sultan Headquarters in Qurum and a new development in Madinat Qaboos, as well as other selected private and commercial projects. The services off ered by Hoehler+AlSalmy (H+S) span from architectural and interior design to project management and environmental planning.
The company has rapidly gained a reputation as one of the most innovative architectural fi rms in the Sultanate. At the recently held German Design Awards 2016 in Frankfurt, the company was recognised with the ‘Special Mention Award’ for their unique and sustainable Ger-man University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) project followed by Muhammad Al Salmy receiv-ing the Al Roya Economic Award as an appreciation for his great eff orts, outstanding contribution,
and infi nite giving in service of the private sector and the nation-al economy in Oman.
Since the success of the GUtech campus, Hoehler+AlSalmy (H+S) has been growing at a rapid pace. The company has won various awards and certifi cations in the past; they were named best Con-sultant of the year at the Con-struction Week Awards in Oman 2013, received the MEED Quality Awards as the national winner in 2014 for the ‘Social Project of the Year, followed by the New-York based IAIR Global Excellence and Sustainability Award in 2015 and Best Performing Medium size En-terprise at the Omantel Business Excellence SME Awards 2015. Additionally, Hoehler+AlSalmy (H+S) also received the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System Certifi cation on 14th April 2015 to ensure the delivery of in-ternationally recognised stand-ards of quality to its clients.
This is an exciting time for Hoehler+AlSalmy (H+S) as the team strives towards building upon its current success stories.
A R C H I T E C T U R E F I R M
OAB gets connected to customers with its social media channels
B6 T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
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Bank of Beirut honoured with Traffic Week Trophy
MUSCAT: In recognition of its support for the Traffi c Week initi-ative, Bank of Beirut was awarded with a trophy. It was given to Ramy Zambarakji - CEO, Bank of Beirut Oman by Major General Sulei-man Al Harthy, assistant general inspector for the Administration
& Financial Aff airs at the Royal Oman Police, in an offi cial cere-mony held recently.
One of the Sultanate’s most suc-cessful traffi c safety campaigns, Traffi c Week encourages respon-sible behaviour among diff erent
segments of society, so that all road users respect road safety rules in line with the highest international practices. It includes activities and initiatives aimed at deepen-ing traffi c awareness and making it part of a culture that positively
refl ects the government’s eff orts to reduce accidents and traffi c viola-tions, says a press release.
The trophy recognises Bank of Beirut’s deep-rooted involvement in helping raise people’s awareness in traffi c safety issues, whether in limiting accidents or decreasing the mortality rate. It endorses the bank’s support for a new culture of safe driving that enhances the pro-motion of responsible traffi c prac-tices and safe driving habits.
Zambarakji commented, “We are proud to make traffi c safety an in-tegral part of our social investment programme. It reasserts our com-mitment to meaningful community development initiatives across all aspects of Omani life.” He contin-ued, “The tragedies precipitated by preventable traffi c mishaps aff ect us all. Our aim is to protect Oman’s most valuable resource – its people – by working to reduce fatalities and serious injuries resulting from road accidents.”
The trophy
recognises Bank of
Beirut’s deep-rooted
involvement in
helping raise people’s
awareness in traffi c
safety issues
ATTRACTIVE OFFERS AT SMILE HYPERMARKET, SAHAMSmile Hypermarket - Saham, commenced ‘Smile
Shopping Festival’ which will continue until April
6. Omani traditional dance, fl ash mob by the staff ,
camel safari, surprise gifts, roadshows and other
entertainment activities were the main highlights
of the celebration. As part of the celebration, Smile
Hypermarket has announced exciting off ers on all the
items. — Supplied picture
Piramal Realty roadshow starts tomorrowMUSCAT: Piramal Realty, the real estate development arm of the $4 billion Piramal Group, is organis-ing a roadshow tomorrow and the day after at Haff a House Ruwi, says a press release.
It has over 10 million square feet of commercial and residential pro-jects under development in prime areas of Mumbai, such as Byculla, BKC, Mulund, Thane, and Worli. Recently, Goldman Sachs and Warburg Pincus, two international equity partners, have invested ap-prox. $434 million in the company, at the entity-level.
Piramal Realty has recently launched Piramal Aranya, a luxu-rious residential high-rise in By-culla, South Mumbai and Piramal Vaikunth, a new community for natural and holistic living at Bal-kum, Thane. The key projects are:
Piramal Aranya is Piramal Re-alty’s signature project located in Byculla. Spread across 7 acres, it presents a new perspective on exceptional living in Mumbai. It will be one of the tallest develop-ments in the city which will be upto 70 storeys, off ering breath-
taking views of the 60 acres of lush botanical gardens on the west and the picturesque Mumbai skyline and Mumbai Harbour on the East.
Piramal Vaikunth is spread over 32 acres near metropolitan Mum-bai. It is a mixed-use complex designed by Chicago-based archi-tectural fi rm, HOK. The project features in the 2014 HOK Design Annual, amongst 40 other pro-jects from around the world. It is also HOK’s winning project in the Delivery category, where Building Information and Modelling (BIM) has been used to achieve a high lev-el in design and delivery process, as well as design and construction integration. The project received strong customer response on the Phase 1 launch.
The company aims to be the gold standard in design, quality, safety and customer centricity in both residential and commercial real estate domain. Piramal Realty’s developments, while being cut-ting edge and contemporary, fo-cus on embracing a more intuitive defi nition of luxury, which cel-ebrates nature, greenery, space,
light, ventilation, art, culture, and community living.
Piramal Realty’s advisory board includes Deepak Parekh, Chair-man of HDFC, Nitin Nohria, Dean of Harvard Business School, Rob-ert Booth, former CEO of EMAAR Properties Dubai and Subbu Narayanswamy, director of Mc-Kinsey & Co. and head of the real estate/infrastructure practice in Asia. The company is currently collaborating with the world’s leading architectural practices, including Make, HOK, KPF, and Callisons and partners with world-class contractors, such as L&T and Eversendai.
Piramal Group is one of India’s leading conglomerates with inter-ests in pharmaceuticals, fi nancial services, information management, glass packaging, and real estate. It is founded by Ajay Piramal. Driven by its core values of knowledge, action and care, the group’s mission is “do-ing well and doing good.” Piramal Foundation, the philanthropic arm, has initiatives in healthcare, educa-tion, water, and women empower-ment across 19 states of India.
P R O P E R T Y S H O W
Danube Home introduces ‘franchise
opportunity’ in Middle East, Africa
MUSCAT: Danube Home, one-stop retail destination for com-plete home solutions, including both soft and hard furnishing including a complete range of liv-ing, bath, lighting, kitchen, gar-den, and outdoors, announced the opening of ‘franchise opportu-nity’ for the Middle Eastern and African markets.
Danube Home will provide every franchisor an opportunity to establish and expand the busi-ness through full service fran-chise development, consulting, marketing, operations, and im-plementation. The global pres-ence along with big market share allows Danube Home to off er the franchise opportunities with gus-to, according to a press release.
Adel Sajan, director, Danube Group asserted, “Danube Home is excited to introduce franchise op-portunity in the Middle East and Africa. The idea came to life with our growing popularity across markets however we would be cautious in our approach as we believe that every franchisee needs to adhere to some basic management skills such as hard work with a desire to succeed, good people skills which includes business, management and cus-tomer service skills, high person-al standards: excellence, honesty and integrity.”
Danube Home serves multicul-
tural middle to high-end income customers. The size of a typical Danube Home Boutique store is between 2,500sqft and 3,500sqft. The size of a typical Danube Home Mega store is between 25,000sqft and 40,000sqft. The average customer fl ow is 50 – 80 customers per store per day.
“Danube Home is a one stop solution for home improvement products - specifi cally anything and everything a home needs. Ours is an unmatchable concept in terms of legacy, operational ca-pability, brand equity and to top it all brand recognition. We are looking for investors who believe in our concept and in turn their potential gives us confi dence to set up these market specifi c Dan-ube Home stores.
“Franchising provides benefi ts for both seller and buyer. In this light, many view franchising as a commitment much like marriage. A good match between franchisor and franchisee, sharing mutual goals over the long term, is essen-tial to the success of each fran-chise unit, and thus the brand as a whole - an essential factor that must be considered seriously,” said Sayed Habib, DGM Buy-ing and Business Development- Danube Home.
Danube Home management will provide ongoing training and support in many areas critical to
the success of the franchisee’s business, including unit opera-tions and maintenance, custom-er-service techniques, product ordering, suggested pricing guidelines, and administrative procedures. Prior to approving a site for Danube Home outlet, Danube Home Management will provide franchisees with clear guidelines for a suitable location.
Danube Home will require franchisees to follow these in-structions to ensure that an ap-propriate site is located. Danube Home Management coordinates development of advertising mate-rials and strategies for the benefi t of all members of the franchise network. It should also supply franchisees with consumer mar-keting plans and materials for use at the local or regional level, and retains the right to approve all lo-cal advertising materials that the franchisee chooses to develop. Reporting directly to administra-tion, this department is respon-sible for the fi nancial and legal oversight of franchisees. Danube Home Management continues to research methods and techniques for franchise operations (includ-ing purchasing and promotional schemes) that enhance unit-level profi tability. Danube Home Man-agement provides the overall co-ordination and planning for the Danube Home franchise system.
B U S I N E S S D E V E L O P M E N T
Danube Home is excited to introduce franchise
opportunity in the Middle East and Africa. The idea
came to life with our growing popularity across
markets however we would be cautious in our
approach as we believe that every franchisee needs
to adhere to some basic management skills such
as hard work with a desire to succeed, good people
skills, excellence, honesty, and integrity
Adel SajanDirector, Danube Group
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2016 Toyota RAV4 now comes with cashback offer
MUSCAT: The Toyota RAV4 is a global model that is sold in more than 150 countries and regions.
The 2016 Toyota RAV4 prom-ises even more fun with its thrill-ingly new attributes that include sporty leather seat material, 6.1” display audio with 6 speakers, LED rear combination lamps, power back door, 6-speed multi-mode au-tomatic transmission and a TFT multi information display.
The RAV4 also has another treat for its customers during the ‘Sum-mer Surprises’ off er. There is a cashback gift of OMR800. (Scheme ends on April 30) Conditions ap-ply; full details are available at the showroom, says a press release.
“Now, the RAV4 is even more tempting to own, given the excit-ing off er,” says a spokesperson for the brand in Oman.
The current generation RAV4 has been ‘Fungineered’ by Toyota
engineers. Its unique design, emo-tional appeal and appointments are testimony to Toyota’s clever innovations.
The exterior has been recre-ated to be more dynamic, bold and upscale –18” alloy wheels set off a sleek new grille and bumper along with new Bi-beam LED headlamps and attractive daytime running lights, aero stabilising fi ns, aero-dynamic roof rails - all add to its unique external design.
The 2.5-litre four-cylinder en-gine in the RAV4 uses Dual VVT-i technology that enhances power delivery effi ciency via a 6-speed gearbox. The technology works by controlling both intake and exhaust timings to produce 177 horsepower.
The RAV4’s interior has a pre-mium, urban look with soft-touch accents and driver-centric con-trols. The high-tech features in-clude HDD type 7” navigation sys-tem, display audio with a 6.1-inch. Touchscreen, AM/FM/CD, Blue-tooth connectivity, USB and AUX mini-jack, and six speakers.
Apart from these, there are many exciting features adding to RAV4’s overall interior appeal - as well as to its functionality. These include the smart entry and start system, rear view camera with back guide monitor, leather seat material, power driver seat with tilt and slide function, automatic climate control with pollen-re-moval type clean air fi lter and re-
tractable power outside mirrors with turn signal indicators.
The RAV4 builds on the very highest standards of occupant safety and pedestrian impact pro-tection evolved over three genera-tions of the compact Toyota SUV. It has class-leading six airbags and is packed with a host of safety fea-tures like Traction Control (TRC), Electronic Brake-Force Distribu-tion (EBD), enhanced Vehicle Sta-bility Control (VSC), Brake Assist (BA), Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Downhill Assist Control, Front & Rear Parking Sensors, Hill-Start Assist Control and Front & Rear Parking Sensors.
Visit the nearest Toyota show-room to take a closer look at the thrilling 2016 RAV4.
All specifi cations listed above are standard Toyota equipment. Safety kit is a dealer installed non-Toyota item provided on ap-plicable Toyota model grades as standard equipment. Vehicle specifi cations may change without prior notice.
In Oman, the nationwide parts and service network of Saud Bahwan Automotive supports Toyota’s outstanding product quality. No wonder then that today, Toyota is one of the most trusted and well-known brands.
The ‘Summer
Surprises’ off er ends
on April 30
Pure Gold launches nature inspired diamond pendants
MUSCAT: Drawing inspira-tion from the myriad colours of Spring, Pure Gold Jewellers, the award winning jewellery retailer and the only world diamond mark certifi ed retailer in the GCC, has launched a collection of diamonds and coloured stone pendants in the shape of butterfl ies.
The colourful pendants are a tribute to the season of fun and frolic that Spring ushers in.
In the special edition collec-tion is a butterfl y pendant with wings accented with coloured stones in honey yellow, green and brown, shaped like water drop-lets representing the fi rst hues of spring. With a diamond sparkling on the wing set in white gold, the pendant is priced at OMR189, ac-
cording to a press release.Commenting on the special
edition Spring collections, Karim Merchant, CEO and MD of Pure Gold Jewellers, says: “Our collec-tion, inspired by nature in its full bloom during Spring, reminds one of the fun and enjoyable moments spent with friends and family dur-ing this beautiful time.”
The collection also features a spectacular butterfl y pendant with a frontal wing accentuated with diamonds set in yellow gold, and the wing beneath set in glit-tering pink coloured stones. The softer shade of pink signifi es femininity, love, and beauty. This exquisite butterfl y shaped pink stones and diamond pendant, is priced at OMR219.
S P E C I A L E D I T I O N C O L L E C T I O N
Panasonic showcases its strength in electrical solutions at Big Show
MUSCAT: Panasonic, a global leader in technology, in collabora-tion with Oman Marketing and Services Company (Omasco) is demonstrating its energy solu-tions which feature the latest in electrical product segment at the Big Show 2016, the annual interna-tional exhibition for building and construction industry in Oman.
The Big Show being held at the Oman International Exhi-bition Centre in Muscat from March 28 will end today. Pana-sonic is present at stand 441, says a press release.
Panasonic is highlighting its innovative systems from its - Eco Solutions Division, under homes & living category - ranging from energy creation, indoor air qual-ity to lighting solutions.
Tatsuya Kumazawa, director and divisional head, Eco Solu-tions Division, PMMAF com-mented, “Energy sector is under-going an unprecedented growth with huge investments being pumped into the sector over the coming years thereby off ering the industry players a challenging yet competitive business environ-ment. Smart cities are the future and this concept is inevitable in
this region, with the local gov-ernment playing an active role to make it part of the basic infra-structure.”
“With its expansive range of products, Panasonic has been a pioneer in innovative energy so-lutions and has been a trusted brand for decades. The Big Show Oman is the perfect platform for us to highlight the latest sustain-able living concepts which form the core of our businesses. We are committed to support the B2B and B2G sectors with our innova-tive, energy saving and environ-ment friendly solutions,” he fur-ther added.
Kishore Chandrasekharan, as-
sistant general manager-Projects & Enterprise Sales, Omasco be-lieves that diversifi cation of busi-ness into products and solutions will be the key to its success in the near future.
He says, “Air conditioners, in particular VRF systems, are be-coming more and more popular in Oman. With the introduction of the new Panasonic FSV EX VRF Systems at the Big Show 2016, we intend to be the market leader in this category as well. The fact that Panasonic room air conditioners are the No. 1 air conditioners in the country also will help the suc-cess of FSV EX.
“These products would be sold through our strong AC Projects sales teams as a separate business category. Big Show 2016 will be a platform for showcasing this new product category and also will be a catalyst in growing our sales in this category which will identify with every customer in the con-struction industry.”
“The building and construction industry is comparatively very stable in Oman. We believe that our strategies will spread into new areas and avenues, enhanc-ing further growth,” he added.
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Majlis Meethaq forum hosts chairman of WJ Towell Group
MUSCAT: Meethaq, the pioneer of Islamic banking in Oman from Bank Muscat, hosted Hussain Jawad Al Lawati, chairman of WJ Towell Group, at the ninth Majlis Meethaq evening, a unique social
forum aimed at facilitating inter-action with prominent personali-ties sharing inspirational aspects of their life and career as well as views and perspective on the economy and important social and cultural issues.
The gathering held at Bank Muscat head offi ce was attended by dignitaries and a large turnout of corporate representatives, ac-
cording to a press release. Highlighting the challenges
and achievements in life, Hussain Jawad Al Lawati, highlighted the role played by large family busi-nesses in the economic develop-ment of Oman. The private sector is making a signifi cant contribu-tion to the development march in Oman, he said adding that they must pay more attention to social
responsibility, supporting events and activities benefi ting Omani society. Recalling his experiences in life and career, Al Lawati called on Omani youth to take advantage of the opportunities in the fi eld of small and medium enterprises. He also spoke about his personal and academic achievements.
Majlis Meethaq is a monthly gathering in which a well-known
economic, social, religious or cul-tural persona having infl uence on Omani society from the Sultanate or abroad is hosted. The interaction between the guest and the audience is aimed at focusing on aspects of the presenter’s personal life, suc-cess in career and views on issues facing the country and community.
As the pioneer of Islamic bank-ing in Oman, Meethaq has adopted
the best practices in Islamic bank-ing and fi nance worldwide to com-bine a robust model which pro-tects customers and complements the Islamic banking industry. Eve-ry Meethaq product goes through the process of Sharia compliance certifi cation by the Sharia Super-visory Board and is created in line with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Oman.
Meethaq off ers a full suite of Islamic banking products and ser-vices, including savings account, current account, home fi nance, auto fi nance, credit card, mobile bank-ing, and internet banking. Presently, Meethaq has 18 branches across the Sultanate and plans to expand the network as well as launch new products and services to comple-ment the unique Islamic banking experience. Its strategy is to sustain its leadership position and attract customers, distinguished by inno-vation of products and operational effi ciency. Meethaq is well posi-tioned to make a diff erence in Is-lamic banking with emphasis on so-cial responsibility, economic justice and developmental commitment.
Highlighting the
challenges and
achievements
in life, Hussain
Jawad Al Lawati,
highlighted the role
played by large
family businesses
in the economic
development of Oman
Omantel Olympics initiative enhances staff engagementMUSCAT: Omantel, the leading provider of integrated telecom-munication services in the Sul-tanate, has concluded the second edition of the Omantel Olympics, a staff engagement programme that enables Omantel staff to meet, socialise and engage in friendly competitions and in doing so boost morale, reward achievements and promote a healthy lifestyle.
The Omantel Olympics was conceived by Omantel HR depart-ment as a tool to strengthen team performance and enhance the overall company culture and work environment in line with Om-antel’s future aspirations, says a press release.
Commenting on the event, Dr Ghalib Al Hosni, Omantel’s vice -president of Human Resources noted, “Company culture and em-ployee satisfaction play a key role in the innovative 3.0 transforma-tion strategy, which directly im-pacts every aspect of our business, and most importantly customer service. With this in mind we cre-ated a programme of staff activities and events that ultimately serve to enhance individual and team per-formance within the company.
“The Omantel Olympics is one such event. This year marked the completion of second edition of the event, of which the fi rst proved to be enormously popular and suc-cessful. The Omantel Olympics promote teamwork, communica-tion and problem solving skills and strengthens relations between employees and their managers.”
Muna Al Mamari, Omantel’s Press & Media manager and chair-person of Omantel Olympics com-mittee also noted, “This edition of Omantel Olympics has been even more successful and enjoyable than before. For the fi rst time chil-dren of staff were allowed to par-ticipate, an addition that helped to boost the sense of community and strengthen bonds between staff and the company.
“This time we also introduced a number of exciting new activi-ties to the programme, including a desert challenge. Also, in line with our ongoing commitment to grow-ing the SME sector, we employed the services of many local small businesses for the execution of the
events and supply of materials and food and beverages. In this way, the benefi ts of the initiative are felt be-yond Omantel and our employees.
The number of participants
in Omantel Olympics this year reached 1,037 compared with 844 participants last year, marking a 22 per cent increase and refl ecting the growing success and popular-ity of the programme.
Furthermore, in the second edition, women supervised the events, an addition that saw a sig-nifi cant increase of the partici-pation of female staff , recorded a growth of 50 per cent compared to last year.
Dr Ghalib Al Hosni added, “This year the programme aims to re-ally explore employees’ talents by encouraging them to step outside their comfort zones. We have in fact discovered many talented ath-letes, many of who were not even aware of their special talents prior to the event.”
“The programme has helped to shape staff ’s skills and has re-sulted in great performances and achievements, such as the Oman-tel karting team, which achieved stellar results this year. The par-ticipation of families is also a great addition, as this will help staff ex-plore their abilities even more and will help in fostering a greater Om-antel community spirit, serving to enhance our overall productivity and quality of work across all as-pects of the business.”
The second edition of the Om-antel Olympics began in Novem-ber 2015 and concluded in March this year. The closing ceremony and fi nal awards celebrations will take place on Sunday.
Today, Omantel boldly inno-vates to deliver the highest lev-els of customer satisfaction, the broadest and most reliable nation-wide network while investing for Oman’s future development.
S T R E N G T H E N S T E A M P E R F O R M A N C E
This year marked the
completion of second
edition of the event, of
which the first proved
to be enormously
popular and successful.
The Omantel Olympics
promote teamwork,
communication and
problem solving skills
and strengthens
relations between
employees and their
managers
Dr Ghalib Al HosniVice president of Human Resources, Omantel
NBO approves 17% cash dividend,
10% cent stock dividend at AGM
MUSCAT: National Bank of Oman (NBO) announced recently that a distribution of a 17 per cent cash dividend of the paid up capi-tal (Baisa 17 per share) and 10 per cent stock dividend (one share per each 10 shares) was approved following the conclusion of its Annual General Meeting (AGM) held recently, at the Grand Hyatt in Muscat.
During the AGM, the share-holders approved the report of the Board of Directors and of the auditors for the fi nancial year ending December 31, 2015. The shareholders also approved the bank’s corporate governance re-port, balance sheet and profi t and loss accounts for the same period, says a press release.
For the 12 months ending De-cember 31, 2015, NBO reported a record performance with net profi t of OMR60.1 million, an in-crease of 20 per cent compared to OMR50.3 million in 2014, demon-strating the success of the bank’s expansion strategy and ability to
deliver sustainable growth. Net interest income from con-
ventional banking and revenues from Islamic fi nancing activities grew by 15 per cent to OMR94.7 million, while loans and advances grew by 9 per cent, demonstrating the bank’s prudent management of assets and liabilities.
“The strong fi nancial results delivered by NBO in 2015 refl ect the success of our ongoing trans-formational journey to be the Sul-tanate’s bank of choice, and we are delighted to share this success with our shareholders through a very healthy dividend,” said Mohammed Mahfoodh Al Ardhi, chairman of NBO.
Ahmed Al Musalmi, NBO’s chief executive offi cer, added: “Driven by innovation, service and a commitment to excellence, NBO delivered exceptional per-formance across the business in 2015. Customers responded superbly to the many newly launched products and services in 2015, and we look forward to
exceeding their expectations again over the next 12 months.”
Al Musalmi concluded: “Our fi nancial performance over the last two years underscores the eff ectiveness of our fi ve-year growth strategy, which places the customer at the heart of our business. In particular, we are fully committed to leading the industry through technological innovations and the delivery of a superior banking experience. Our success in 2015 was further un-derlined by the six major industry awards and accolades won across the business.”
During the AGM, the share-holders were notifi ed about the Sharia Supervisory Board report on Muzn Islamic Banking ser-vices for the fi scal year ended December 31, 2015. In addition, the shareholders also approved the appointment of Ernst and Young as the external auditors for the company and external Sharia Auditor for the current fi scal year and fi xed their remuneration.
A N N U A L G E N E R A L M E E T I N G
Shifa Al Jazeera set to invest more in healthcare sectorMUSCAT: Shifa Al Jazeera, the leading healthcare group in the GCC, is set to invest more in the healthcare sector as part of its ex-pansion plans which include pre-mium hospitals, polyclinics and chain of pharmacies.
According to K. T. Rabeeulla, the chairman and managing di-rector of Shifa Al Jazeera, the group plans to set up a royal premium hospital dedicated for mother and child at Azaiba, of-fering superior clinical care and ultra-modern facilities, says a press release.
The proposed hospital sprawl-ing over 3,000 square metres would off er the latest in healthcare and the best of facilities including crown royal suite to cater to the needs of mother and child. The hospital would be operated by M Care Group under the able leader-ship of Sheikh Udaifa Al Gazzali as the chairman and K. T. Rabeeulla, as the vice-chairman.
Initially M Care has identifi ed seven cities in Oman to estab-lish its presence. Hospitals are
planned for Ruwi and Al Khoudh in the Muscat region, while a pre-mium poly clinic is being com-pleted at Al Khuwair and sched-uled to open in June. The hospital at Ruwi is fast progressing and expected to be operational by Oc-tober. Subject to approval from
authorities concerned, the group plans to off er consultation at a nominal charge of OMR1.
Apart from this, the group has joined hands with Zahrath Group and is planning to open premium polyclinics Badr Al Thamaam, across Oman.
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India likely to tour West Indies in July
MUMBAI: India will visit the West Indies for a four-match Test series later this summer, which will revive bilateral ties between the two teams after al-most a two-year hiatus.
The tour is likely to take place in July-August, although the dates and venues are yet to be announced. “The offi cial word is that the tour is on. We are just awaiting confi rmation of the ven-ues now. And once we have done that, we will send out a release with the dates, the venues and everything,” West Indies Cricket Board president Dave Cameron told ‘Cricket Radio’ in Nagpur.
Bilateral series between the two teams remained sus-pended since the West Indies abandoned their tour to India mid-way in June 2014. The an-nouncement puts an end to the uncertainty that has surround-ed the series - listed on the ICC’s Future Tours Programme - ever since the BCCI suspended bilat-eral engagements as a penalty.
The likely dates means the tour would clash with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which is likely to begin in late June, and fi nish in the fi rst week of August.
“Yes, it will (clash with the CPL). The unfortunate thing is that the international calendar is packed. And the only window for this tour to come off is during that time.” - PTI
C R I C K E T
Australia enter fourth straight fi nal
NEW DELHI: Defending champions Australia made a dramatic comeback against old foes England to enter their fourth successive Women’s World Twenty20 fi nal with a fi ve-run win here on Wednesday.
Chasing 133, England were cruising at 87 for one before they self destructed against their fi ghting opponents to end at 127 for seven in 20 overs.
Put in to bat, Australia cap-tain Meg Lanning (55 off 50 balls) guided her team to 132 for six before the bowlers led by medium pacer Megan Schutt (2/15) pulled off a sensational victory for the team that has pocketed the last three World T20 titles. England needed 13 off the fi nal over but Schutt bowled miserly to seal the issue for her side. It was hard to imag-ine an Australian win with the start that English team had got.
The in-form opening pair of Charlotte Edwards (31) and Tammy Beaumont (32) provided a brisk start to take England to 50-run mark in just seven overs.
This kind of stroke play was seldom seen in the tournament prior to Wednesday’s game but England openers gave the sparse crowd at the Feroz Shah Kotla plenty to cheer for.
Edwards, the team’s leading run-getter in the tournament,
carried her sublime touch to the crunch game and was ably supported by Beaumont.
Beaumont started with a fi ne fl ick off medium pacer Ellyse Perry in the second over be-fore smashing her for a six over square leg three overs later.
Edwards was not to be left far behind as she combined el-egance with innovation.
She struck a copybook straight drive with as much ease as she orchestrated a reverse sweep. It seemed England were running away with the game until Aus-tralia got the much needed wick-et of Edwards, who was caught cleanly at the extra cover.
With the fall of their captain, England were 67 for one in 10 overs and needed just another 66 from the last 10. It was im-perative for England to keep going after Edwards’ departure.
All England needed was some sensible batting to see them through but they kept losing wickets to be reeling at 103 for fi ve from 89 for one. - PTI
W O M E N ’ S W T 2 0Roy on rampage as England storm into World T20 final
NEW DELHI: England stormed into the fi nal of the ICC World Twenty20 with a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over New Zealand, riding on opener Jason Roy’s blazing 78.
After restricting New Zealand to 153 for eight with an impressive death bowling eff ort, it was then turn of right-handed Roy to pul-verise a potent Black Caps attack into submission with a superlative 78 off 44 balls as the winners fi n-ished the match in only 17.1 overs.
Roy, who had set the tone with a 16-ball-43 against South Africa, produced an exhilarating array of shots to knock the stuffi ng out of the New Zealand attack, which had looked potent till now.
In all, Roy hit 11 boundaries and two sixes. He teed off with four boundaries in the fi rst over bowled by Corey Anderson and the graph only went upwards after that.
The 25-year-old Surrey bats-man literally slapped fast bowler Adam Milne for a six over long-off .
The boundaries just kept com-ing as his 50 came off 26 balls with nine boundaries and a six.
The team’s 100 came in 10.2 overs and New Zealand by then had been all but knocked out. Roy’s innings was an example of perfect hand-eye co- ordination with minimalistic footwork against fast bowlers. With no lateral movement, it was easy for the South Africa-born batsman to hit through the line.
To make matters worse, he did not let left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner settle down hitting him
for two boundaries in his fi rst over.Such was Roy’s dominance that
his opening partner, the normally attacking Alex Hales (20) looked pale in comparison during their 82-run fi rst wicket stand.
By the time, Roy was bowled missing the line of an Ish Sodhi leg-break, England had more or less pocketed the match with only 44 runs adift of the target.
Eoin Morgan (0) was adjudged leg before fi rst ball but Joe Root (27 not out) and Jos Buttler (32 not out off 17 balls) guided the team home with minimum fuss.
The last 28 runs came off seven deliveries as the England duo fi n-ished with a fl ourish.
Having played some brilliant cricket at the league stage, New Zealand under Kane Williamson could not deliver the killer blow when it mattered the most as they were out of the contest after the fi rst 10 overs of their batting innings.
Their bowling held the key throughout but as per law of aver-ages, they were to have a bad day which unfortunately came in the semifi nals. Earlier, New Zealand batsmen frittered away a fantas-tic start in front of some splendid death bowling by England to post a below par 153 for eight after being put into bat.
The England bowlers came un-der the pump during the fi rst 10 overs giving away 89 runs but were once again brilliant at the death conceding only 64 runs in the last 10 overs to stop New Zealand from setting an imposing target.
Electing to fi eld, England staged a strong comeback in the second half of New Zealand’s innings to restrict their opponents to a mod-est 153 for eight.
After dangerous opener Martin Guptill fell in the third over, Colin Munro (46) added 74 for the second wicket with Williamson (32) to lay the foundations for a big total.
England, however, applied the brakes with some disciplined bowling and tight fi elding.
Anderson made 28 down the order but New Zealand eventually fell well short of the 175 total that looked reachable at the halfway stage. Ben Stokes (3-26) was the pick of the England bowlers, again showing how good he is in the lat-ter stages of an innings.
England, the 2010 champions, now meet the winners of Thurs-day’s match between India and West Indies on Sunday. - PTI, Reuters
Roy, who had set the
tone with a 16-ball-
43 against South
Africa, produced an
exhilarating array of
shots to knock the
stuffi ng out of the
New Zealand attack,
which had looked
potent till now
NEW ZEALANDM.Guptill c Buttler b Willey 15K. Williamson c&b Ali 32C. Munro c M. Ali b L. Plunkett 46C. Anderson c Jordan b Stokes 28R. Taylor c Morgan b Jordan 6L. Ronchi c Willey b Stokes 3G. Elliott (not out) 4M. Santner c Jordan b Stokes 7M. McClenaghan run out 1Extras (b-1, lb-4, w-6) 11 Total (8 wkts; 20 overs) 153Did not bat: I.S. Sodhi, A. Milne.Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-91, 3-107, 4-134,
5-139, 6-139, 7-150, 8-153.Bowling: D. Willey 2-0-17-1; C. Jordan 4-0-24-1 (w-2); L. Plunkett 4-0-38-1 (w-2); A. Rashid 4-0-33-0 (w-2); B. Stokes 4-0-26-3 (w-2); M. Ali 2-0-10-1.
ENGLANDJ. Roy b Sodhi 78A. Hales c Munro b Santner 20J. Root not out 27E. Morgan lbw b Sodhi 0J. Buttler not out 32Extras (lb-1, w-1) 2Total (3 wickets; 17.1 overs) 159
Did not bat: B. Stokes, M. Ali, C. Jordan, D. Willey, A. Rashid, L. Plunkett Fall of wickets: 1-82, 2-110, 3-110Bowling: C. Anderson 1-0-16-0, A. Milne 3-0-27-0, M. McClenaghan 3-0-24-0, M. Santner 3.1-0-28-1, I. Sodhi 4-0-42-2, G. Elliott 3-0-21-0Toss: England, who chose to fi eldMan of the match: J. Roy (England)Umpires: K. Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and RJ Tucker (Australia)TV umpire: B. Oxenford (Australia)Match referee: D. Boon (Australia)Reserve umpire: J. Wilson (West Indies)
78runs from 44 balls
11 fours, 2 sixes
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India go in to the semi-fi nals at probably their least favourite venue, the
Wankhede Stadium. It was at this venue a few months back that the South Africans massa-cred their bowling to score 438 runs in a limited overs game. That said, the bowling is now way diff erent with the inclu-sion of the wily experienced Ashish Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.
Nehra and Bumrah not only get wickets at the beginning but bowl exceedingly well in the slog overs to put the brakes on the opposition scoring. Pandya has the happy knack of picking wickets even though he gives runs away in the fi nal overs.
More importantly he has the luck factor going for him which is so crucial. If a bowler picks wickets off full tosses then it’s nothing but luck as was seen in the game against Bangladesh. Dhoni will not leave him out of the team for he knows that
Pandya can belt the ball and with his fi elding save the runs that he gives as a bowler.
Yuvraj Singh’s fi tness will be a factor and India is likely to go with Rahane who has been sitting in the wings patiently awaiting his chance. There is a case for going with an extra spinner but the Wankhede pitch is less likely to assist spin so there won’t be much of a change in the Indian team.
The Windies on the other hand have brought in the experienced Lendl Simmons who plays for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and so is familiar with the pitch. He and Gayle form a formidable opening pair
and Dhoni will once again use Ashwin to bowl to Gayle who is happier when the ball is coming on to the bat than when he has to wait for the ball as he has to when facing Ashwin.
Virat Kohli has pulled the fat out of the fi re for most of India’s wins in this tournament and it is about time the others take a cue from his approach and begin to make a contribution.
If the openers get India off to a good start then Kohli can come and play the shots as only he can and get India a big score on the board. India start as the favourites but the T20 format is known for making ‘pundits’ look like idiots in a jiff y. - PMG
India start favourites but this format can make ‘pundits’ look like idiots in a jiff y
C O M M E N T A R Y
There is a case for going with an extra spinner but the
Wankhede pitch is less likely to assist spin so there
won’t be much of a change in the Indian team
India bank on spin to blunt Windies weapons
MUMBAI: The second World Twenty20 semifi nal is likely to hinge on who emerges on top in the battle between the big-hit-ting West Indian batsmen and India’s wily spinners when the former champions clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
India, the world’s top-ranked side in the shortest format, ar-rived at the sixth edition of the tournament with 10 wins from 11 matches in 2016 and were con-sidered overwhelming favourites by fans, opposing captains and bookmakers alike.
But while an opening Super 10 stage defeat to New Zealand, who reached the semifi nals unbeaten, was a wake-up call, the home side’s credentials came into ques-tion in a one-run win over Bang-ladesh, who lost three wickets in the last three balls.
Virat Kohli’s wide blade was then called on to see off a stiff challenge from 50-over world champions Australia in a winner-takes-all contest to reach the last four, his masterclass glossing over some major batting fl aws for the 2007 champions.
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have failed to build a solid foundation for the hosts and their opening stands of fi ve, 14, 42 and 23 have put pressure on the mid-dle and lower order to provide a bulk of the scoring.
Left-hander Suresh Raina’s scores of one, zero, 30 and 10 have not been overly helpful either, and calls for the number four bats-man’s omission from the team
have only gained momentum.Yuvraj Singh has been ruled out
with an ankle injury he picked up in the win over Australia, opening the door for either Ajinkya Ra-hane to play at his home ground or the recalled Manish Pandey to stake a claim in the starting side.
“You can’t rely on one batsman, yes the others have contributed, but still at the same time, if we can do a bit more with the bat at the top of the order and the mid-dle overs, I think we will feel the pressure slightly less,” India cap-tain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said
after the Australia triumph.“Also, it will be good, because
still we feel we are batting at 65 percent, barring Virat (Kohli).”
Dhoni faces the prospect of lift-ing a third World Cup for India af-ter leading them in 2007 and again for the 50-overs title in 2011, the wicketkeeper lauded for his excep-tional calmness and savvy against Bangladesh as India stole victory. A win on Thursday will take India to a third fi nal in the World T20 under Dhoni after they went down to South Asian rivals Sri Lanka in the last edition. - Reuters
Dhoni faces the
prospect of lifting a
third World Cup for
India after leading
them in 2007
and again for the
50-overs title in 2011
GEARING UP: With Yuvraj Singh ruled out, Ajinkya Rahane (in
training) will get his chance to play. – AFP
Match starts: 1730 Oman timeWorld T20 head to head: Played: 3; West Indies won: 2; India won: 1
* * *WEST INDIESWorld ranking: ThreeSquad: Darren Sammy (Captain), Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Lendl Simmons, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Ashley Nurse, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Evin LewisCoach: Phil SimmonsBest overall performance: Champions (2012)Road to semifi nal:* Beat England by six wickets* Beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets* Beat South Africa by three wickets* Lost to Afghanistan by six runsTop scorer: Fletcher (106 runs)
Top wicket-taker: Russell (seven wickets)* * *
INDIAWorld ranking: OneSquad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Ravin-dra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Pawan Negi, Ashish Nehra, Hardik Pandya, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Manish PandeyCoach: Ravi ShastriBest overall performance: Champions (2007)Road to semifi nal:* Lost to New Zealand by 47 runs* Beat Pakistan by six wickets* Beat Bangladesh by one run* Beat Australia by six wicketsTop scorer: Kohli (184 runs)Top wicket-taker: Pandya (fi ve wickets)
F A C T B O X
C3
SPORTST H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
Unfancied Windies out to win back respect, says SammyMUMBAI: West Indies’s tumul-tuous build-up to the World Twen-ty20 has knit the players together and they will have no better stage than Thursday’s semi-fi nal against India to express themselves, captain Darren Sammy said on Wednesday.
India, the world’s top-ranked side in the format, came into the sixth edition of the tournament having won 10 out of their 11 matches in 2016 and were consid-ered overwhelming favourites by fans, opposing captains and book-makers alike.
West Indies, the 2012 champi-ons, on the other hand were busy sorting out a contractual dispute with their board just weeks ahead
of the start and did not play a single international Twenty20 before ar-riving in India.
“The issues before the tourna-ment, the lack of respect for our T20 team... a lot has been said about this team and we as a group that brought us closer together,” Sammy told reporters on the eve of the match.
“We saw a lot was against us... we think it’s us against the world. It’s only us in our own little circle and that’s the way we have gone out and played. Tomorrow is no bigger day to express that.”
A number of West Indies play-ers are in their 30s and play only the shortest format of the game and, with the next World Twen-
ty20 scheduled in four years’ time in Australia, the current cam-paign could be the swansong for a few of them.
Sammy felt it had made the play-ers more focused.
“Looking at the calendar year af-ter this World Cup, I don’t see any T20 internationals scheduled,” said the ever-smiling Sammy. “It might be a while and the next T20 World Cup is in four years.
“We really put in our all in this tournament and the guys in the dressing room are aware of what’s at stake.
“The guys who predict the re-sults and stuff I think say it’s 80:20 in favour of India. So it feels like David versus Goliath but people
tend to forget David won the fi ght.”West Indies’ top-order batting
has shouldered the burden of chas-ing down targets in their fi rst three matches, which has been very pleasing for Sammy.
“The key word was responsibil-ity. It is one of the main words we use in the dressing room. Someone taking the responsibility to bring the team home, not leave it for any-one,” the 32-year-old said.
“We’ve not played the perfect game. We’re stressing on rotation of strike and stuff . It’s clear we’re a big boundary-hitting team and we look at the dot ball percent-age (which) is 40-50 percent for us. Maybe we could improve on that.” - Reuters
W O R L D T 2 0
IN GOOD MOOD: West Indies cricket team captain Darren Sammy,
left, speaks with coach Phil Simmons during the training session at
the Wankhede Cricket Stadium in Mumbai. – AFP
Indian top order must deliver now: Shastri
MUMBAI: India’s team director Ravi shastri on Wednesday called on the side’s under-performing batsmen to raise their game in the ICC World Twenty20 semifi nal against West Indies here, saying the hosts can’t rely on one or two individuals at this stage of the tournament.
Shastri hoped that batsmen such as Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina, af-ter an indiff erent run, step up and show their mettle at the
Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.“I still believe we have played
only 70 per cent to our abilities in this tournament. There are still areas where we can improve. Let’s hope it happens tomorrow (Thursday),” Shastri said at the match-eve media conference.
“In a semifi nal you got to get your A game in. You can’t depend on one or two players, you need 6-7 players to step up to the plate. It has not happened so far in this tournament. Let’s hope it happens tomorrow (Thursday).”
The former captain was refer-ring to the misfi ring top-order, barring Virat Kohli who has been outstanding.
Eff usive in his praise for Kohli’s unbeaten 82 against Australia in the quarterfi nal at Mohali, shas-tri said the Delhi stalwart turned around his fortunes through sheer hard work after an indiff erent show in England in 2014.
“It was outstanding innings, one of the best you will ever see in T20 cricket, considering the occasion, the pressure. The kind
of cricketing shots he played was unbelievable. “I had absolutely no doubt when I took on the job, seeing the form he was in, know-ing fully well that he will be back on track. It was just case of mind over matter. You got to give him the credit for really believing that he can be right up there with the best and putting in the hard yards.
“No one trains harder than Virat. If he’s as successful as he has been over the last 18 months, credit must be given to him for putting that much of hard work and believing in his ability.”
Shastri said the team will miss injured Yuvraj Singh, both as a batsman and bowler, and will have a good look at the net session on Wednesday before deciding on who will be his replacement in the playing XI.
“It will have an impact. He’s had his moment and I thought his three overs were brilliant in the last game (against Australia) that really put the checks and brakes on the scoring and allowed us to come back into the contest.
“After the fi rst four overs (when Australia had raced to 53 for no loss) it was a no contest. At one stage it looked that (target for India would be) 200 or 200-plus which would have been very dif-fi cult to chase on that pitch.” - PTI
Shastri hoped that
batsmen such as
Rohit Sharma,
Shikhar Dhawan and
Suresh Raina, after
an indiff erent run,
step up and show
their mettle at
the Wankhede
Oman Sail teams make best of Spi Ouest storms in FranceMUSCAT: Three Oman Sail teams had their mettle tested by storm force winds at Spi Ouest in La Trinite sur Mer last weekend as they kicked off their 2016 cam-paigns in Europe but left France knowing they are on track for a rewarding season. Only one day’s racing was possible across all classes as Storm Katie swept in from the Atlantic to batter north-ern France. Two days were aban-doned before the fl eet even made it onto the race track — with wind speeds of 55 knots recorded — while the fi nal day was cancelled shortly after the boats left shore.
The racing they did manage to get proved fruitful for Oman Sail’s three teams with Thierry Douillard’s crew on the new Diam 24 Oman Airports by Oman Sail opening their campaign with a top 10 result, which was welcomed since they had only stepped onto the boat a few days previously. By the end of the day they were lying in 12th place after fi ve races with another two top 10 results from a
fl eet of 28 contenders. It was an encouraging start, said Abdulrah-man Al Mashari, one of two Oma-nis on board the 24-foot trimaran who will be campaigning the boat for the 2016 Tour de France a Voile in July.
“This was my fi rst time ever on the boat and I really liked it. We liked it more with each race so we were frustrated that we were only able to do fi ve races,” he said. “From those races, we are confi dent we are on the right track for the Tour de France a la Voile and are looking forward to the next Diam event in Pornichet next month.”
Fahad Al Hasni’s 100 percent Omani crew on the Grand Sur-prise were also frustrated to see the Spi Ouest programme curtailed by storms after they achieved a superb third place in the second race. “We were very happy with our 3rd place as an all Omani crew for the fi rst time, but would have liked to have more racing – we are looking forward to the next opportunity to better our
13th place overall,” he said.Only three races were possible
in the Grand Surprise class and Al Hasni’s Oman Sail Men’s Team, with a team of well-known Omani names including Oman Air’s star GC32 bowman Nasser Al Masha-ri, fi nished in 13th place overall from 33 starters. For the Oman Sail Women’s Team, campaign-ing their J80, the Spi Ouest event was all about developing skills and the testing conditions of Quiberon Bay certainly gave Dee Caff ari and her crew of Marwa Al Khaifi , Tam-adher Al Balushi, Annemieke Bes and Ibtisam Al Salmi a good work out to start their season with a best placed 32nd to open their account.
According to Nico Honor, Oman Sail’s European project manager overseeing the squad in France, there were plenty of positives to draw from Spi Ouest. “This was a diffi cult event since only one day of racing out of four was possible due to very strong winds so the boats had a very long day on the water on Friday.”
S A I L I N G
HARD OR SOFT? India cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni
inspects the pitch at The Wankhede Cricket Stadium. – AFP
C4
SPORTST H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
Oman now needs to focus on Asian Cup fi nal round qualifi ersMUSCAT: With their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign coming to an end with a 2-0 away defeat to Iran on Tuesday, Oman will now be looking to continue their quest for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup berth.
Juan Ramon Lopez Caro-coached Omanis were among ‘the 27 teams that didn’t make the cut for the third round of qualifi ers for Russia 2018 World Cup’.
According to news posted on the Asian Football Confedera-tion (AFC) website, the 27 teams learned their position on the quali-fi cation road for the next edition of Asia’s fl agship tournament.
DPR Korea’s 3-2 loss to the Phil-ippines and Jordan’s 5-1 hammer-ing at the hands of Asian champi-ons Australia saw the duo fi nish one point behind China in the rank-
ings for the four best second-placed teams, with the 2004 AFC Asian Cup hosts ending Qatar’s 100 per-cent record with a 2-0 win in Xian to advance to the third round of World Cup qualifi ers as well as sealing their place at UAE 2019.
The North Koreans and Jordan will take part in the 2019 Asian Cup fi nal round qualifi ers along with Oman and Lebanon, who fi nished second in their groups behind Iran and Korea Republic respectively. The quartet will be joined in the fi -nal round by all the third-place fi n-ishers in Round 2 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup joint-qualifi ers as well as the top-four fourth-placed sides.
Meanwhile, the four lowest ranked fourth-placed teams will join those that fi nished last in their
groups in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 qualifi ers playoff round.
The draw for the two-round playoff s will take place at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on April 7,
fi ve days before the draw for the fi -nal round of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Asian qualifi ers takes place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, also in the Malaysia capital.
AFC chief congratulatesMeanwhile, Asian Football Con-federation (AFC) chief Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has congratulated the 12 teams that secured their spots in the fi nal round of the Asian qualifi ers for the 2018 World Cup.
With the new qualifying for-mat, the 12 teams are also the fi rst teams to have booked their places for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.
“I would like to off er my heart-felt congratulations to all 12 teams for edging closer to the world big-gest sporting spectacle. All of them have shown great determination and tenacity and truly deserve their places amongst the conti-nent’s best,” he said.
The AFC chief went on to note the progress of the developing nations.
“The new qualifying competition format has been designed to expose Asia’s developing football nations to greater, high-level competition.”
“I am pleased to note the val-iant eff orts of our aspiring nations throughout this hard-fought cam-paign and I wish them the very best as they continue to compete for a place in the 2019 Asian Cup in Qa-tar,” he added.
Teams in 2019 Asian Cup fi nal round qualifi ers: North Korea, Jordan, Oman, Lebanon, Palestine, Kyrgyzstan, Hong Kong, Turkmenistan, Singapore, Vietnam, Kuwait, the Philippines, Guam, Myanmar, Bahrain and Afghanistan.
Teams in 2019 Asian Cup quali-fi ers playoff round: Tajikistan, Chi-nese Taipei, Maldives, Malaysia, Laos, India, Yemen, Timor Leste, Bangla-desh, Cambodia and Bhutan.
F O O T B A L L
CONTINENTAL TARGET: A fi le photo of Oman team.
OGC to launch Junior Open golf tournament on April 15
MUSCAT: The Oman Golf Com-mittee (OGC) is all set to tee off a brand new tournament for junior golfers in the Sultanate, the OGC Junior Open.
The governing body of Oman golf will oranise the inaugural edi-tion of the championship, with the support from Oman LNG and Trowers & Hamlins, at Almouj Golf on April 15.
The tournament is open to young golfers aged between six and 16 years, both Omanis as well as other nationalities residing in
the country. The event will feature a total of 54 participants.
Mundhir Al Barwani, the Chair-man of the OGC, said: “We are happy to announce that for the fi rst time, we are going to organise a golf tournament exclusively for juniors. We have been planning for this kind of tournament for long. We are happy that fi nally it is here to come.”
The OGC has been running its junior programmes at various levels at its four affi liated clubs throughout the year. The OGC’s junior programme is fully subsi-dised and the kids get free training from PGA Pro coaches like Milo Breitenwischer.
The OGC’s other successful junior programme which was launched last year is the School
Golf Initiative where the OGC coach goes out to schools to intro-duce golf to the kids and train them in the basics of the game.
Hailing the event, Al Barwani concluded: “We have our junior programmes at various levels. So we wanted the kids to be in compe-tition mode.
“They will be introduced to the tournament rules and regulations,
fi eld experience and feel the com-petition. We hope they will enjoy this fun game and it will be a suc-cessful event.”
Players from all the OGC affi li-ated units, Ghala Golf Club, Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club, Almouj Golf and Ras Al Hamra are set to participate in this fun competition.
The tournament will be played at the academy par-3 course of Al-mouj Golf and is open strictly for kids without any handicap. There will be two participating groups - under-9 as well as 9-16 years group.
The Under-9 group kids, who will be playing in a 5-hole game, would tee off at 10 a.m. and the rest will tee off at noon for a 9-hole competition.
Almouj Golf and the OGC wel-come the participation of parents as well as volunteers. The one-day event will end with a prize distri-bution ceremony at 2.30 p.m on the same day.
Ahmed Al Jhadhamy, the Vice-Chairman of the OGC, said: “We would like to have parents as vol-unteers for the event, because kids need their parents beside them all the time. It would be a great expe-rience for the parents as well.”
The registration for the compe-tition will begin next week and will close on April 12.
The OGC will oranise
the inaugural edition
of the Oman Juionr
Open, with the
support from Oman
LNG and Trowers &
Hamlins, at Almouj
Golf on April 15
FULL OF ENTHUSIASM: Children of Oman Golf Committee’s Development Squad speak to the offi cials
and their coach during a training session. – Supplied photo
Beach Soccer Cup receives good response
MUSCAT: The Oman Oil Beach Soccer Cup scheduled to be held over four weeks in April across the various regions of the Sultanate – has been receiving overwhelming response.
According to the information received from the Oman Foot-ball Association (OFA), the tour-nament has attracted ‘an un-precedented number of entries’.
The tournament will be or-ganised in four legs, in Sur on April 9, in Sohar on April 16, in Salalah on April 23 and in Mus-cat on April 30.
Each leg of the tournament will be attended by Oman na-tional beach soccer coach Talib Hilal, who will be scouting for top players for the prepara-tory camp for the Asian Beach Games later this year.
Talib Hilal said: “It is very en-couraging to receive such a good response. Oman has a wealth of talent and it will be interest-ing to see it on the pitch in this tournament.”
Alister D’Silva, Head of Mar-keting, Brand and Events at the OFA, said: “The response has been overwhelming. We are looking at possible options to accommodate as many teams as possible so that everyone gets a chance to participate.”
F O O T B A L L
OMAN CRICKET REVIEWS TEAM’S PERFORMANCE, DEVELOPMENTSOman Cricket held its Annual General Meeting at Al Falaj Hotel on Tuesday evening. During the meeting, the members
reviewed the performance of the national team right from the ICC World T20 Qualifi er in Ireland/Scotland to the ICC World
T20, which is currently undergoing in India. The members also reviewed the infrastructure development that took place in
the last few months. Meanwhile, Oman Cricket Secretary Madhu Jesrani presented honoured national team member Amir
Ali for his exploits at the World T20 preliminary round matches played in the north Indian city of Dharamsala. It may be
mentioned that Amir Ali played a stellar role, winning the man of the match award, in Oman’s thrilling victory over Ireland in
Dharamsala. — Supplied photos
WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM
CultureSECTIONC L I F E S T Y L E T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
Thuria Abdullah Al Rahbi’s love of painting came as a gift. Right from early childhood she evolved her ideas of drawing and her art too moved forth with her life. Having con-ducted several exhibitions at school level,
she later on joined the Omani Society for Fine Arts, as an affi liate in the assembly participating in work-shops and technical sessions and art exhibitions.
Thuria’s abstract style embodies many layers which are persistent in the bold lines of her works, re-fl ecting the heritage that the beautiful Sultanate has in abundance.
For long Thuria had been working on the idea of establishing an Omani exhibition abroad, and fi nally her dream saw the light of the day in Paris. On March 23, her creations highlighting the beauty of the Omani art and way of life were showcased in the exhibition titled “Bidaa Al Ward” (Creativity of Roses).
The exhibition refl ected the development and origi-nality of Omani fashion through the unique designs of fashion designer Fatima Al Jahwari. Another attraction at the exhibition was the plastic paintings inspired from the classic 1944 song Bidaa Al Ward inspired by the po-etry of famous Hilmi Hakim, and sung by the Egyptian singing sensation of yesteryears, Asmahan. Composed by Farid Al Atrash, the song is a beautiful narration of the life of roses.
The paintings by the 26-year-old Thuria, integrate
the Omani authentic costumes from all regions of the Sultanate which retain the identity and authenticity of Omani aesthetic values. The exhibition also included the works of nine other Omani artists and craftsmen highlighting the Omani traditional craft industry, a leg-acy passed on from generation to generation. This fes-tival is particularly important in terms of its objectives of multicultural exchange facilitating exchange of ideas between artists and creative individuals, and highlight-ing rich Omani fashion and handicrafts on international platform through contemporary art.
Aims of the exhibition:1. To revive the popular heritage of Oman and showcase the treasures. Also to highlight its importance through presentation of paintings linked to Omani costumes, crafts, and traditional handicrafts.2. To defi ne the cultural and social heritage of Oman and developments in the Omani heritage, by making modern art blend with the past.3. Showcasing the Sultanate through cultural events of art mixed with music and Omani fashion, and to promote Oman as a tourist destination, abroad.4. To strengthen the link and integration between the fi elds of contemporary music and visual art and fashion.5. To open new trade prospects between the Omani pio-neers and France. —[email protected]
Thuria Abdullah Al Rahbi’s paintings, refl ecting the rich heritage
of Oman, were showcased at an art expo in Paris recently.
Story Asmaa Al Balushi
The Exhibition Section
Section 1: MusandamMusandam is located in the far north of the Sultanate, and is characterised by its strategic location. In the exhibition, Mu-sandam represents the gateway to the world of art and fashion, accompanied by song Bidaa Al Ward which is the theme of the exhibition.
Section 2: Al Batinah NorthAl Batinah occupies the Northern regions of the Sultanate, through which we en-ter into the world of roses, start-ing with seed collection. This section recognises the costumes of these distinguished regions.
Section 3: Al Batinah SouthThis region represents the rose cultivation and is depicted by a ploughing vehicle and is embodied in five paintings.
Section 4: Buraimi Buraimi is located in the north-west corner of the Sultanate. Since water is the lifeblood of all living organisms, pot water irrigation is embodied in fi ve paintings.
Section 5: MuscatRoses draw its life from leaves as a basic constituent in the growth process. Muscat is the lifeblood of the Sultanate and is the capital of Oman. The paintings are inspired by this brilliant idea of rose leaves to highlight the costumes and bright colours.
Section 6: North Al SharqiyahThis region has the mix of three environments, each with its own distinctive fl avour in Al Sharqi-yah, where the buds emerge from the stalk of the plant, including the Al Sharqiyah costumes in three paintings.
Section 7: South Al SharqiyahThe south of Al Sharqiyah is part of the north and the roses get shading on distinctive colours. Red, which derives pas-sion through the aesthetics of the costumes, is depicted in six paintings.
Section 8: Al DakhiliyahThis region unique with its dis-tinguished nature has the most popular cities which are consid-ered as centres of culture and science in ancient Oman. Roses for the exhibition here take yel-low colour expressing jealousy, characterised by this region’s costume in six paintings.
Section 9: Al DhahiraAl Dhahira region is home to the civilisation of the Omani herit-age and a bridge for trade cara-vans and a commercial outlet to the world outside. This region represented by the white roses, the colour of chastity and love, is characterised by the region’s costume in six paintings.
Section 10: Al Wusta The region mediates the Sultanate; it separates the north and south. This region is the beating heart of Oman and is characterised by its costumes in fi ve paintings.
Section 11: Dhofar Dhofar is the land of frankincense and is rich in beauty and charming natural wonders, which diff erenti-ates the Sultanate from the rest of the GCC countries, and the exhibition concludes with Dhofar in 45 paintings.
Phot
ogra
phy
Supp
lied
FIND-IT-ALLC6 T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
Dhuhr 12.16pm
Asr 3.43pm
Maghrib 6.27pm
Isha 7.38pm Fajr (Tomorrow) 4.44am
PRAYER TIMINGS
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LISTINGS
LONG DISTANCE BUS TIMINGS (OMAN NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMPANY SAOC) *SUBJECT TO CHANGE
FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)
Dept Destination Arrival Operatingtime time days
QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36)
15:00 Quriyat 16:30 Daily
15:00 Sur 18:00 Daily
15:00 Jaalan 19:30 Daily
TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)
06:30 Sohar 08:50 Daily
06:30 Buraimi 11:00 Daily
08:00 Buraimi 14:30 Daily via Ibri
13:00 Sohar 15:45 Daily
13:00 Buraimi 17:40 Daily
16.00 Sohar 18.35 Daily
16.00 Buraimi 20:20 Daily
TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)
17:30 Sinaw 20:50 Daily
TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)
14:30 Nizwa 16:50 Daily
14:30 Yanqul 19:30 Daily
TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)
08:00 Nizwa 10:20 Daily
08:00 Al Araqi 12:30 Daily
TO SUR (ROUTE 55)
07:30 Sur 12:00 Daily
14:30 Sur 18:45 Daily
TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62)
06:30 Fahud 10:30 Daily
06:30 Yibal 11:15 Daily
TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100)
07:00 Salalah 20:00 Daily
10:00 Marmul 20:30 Daily
10:00 Salalah 23:30 Daily
19:00 Salalah 07:40 Daily
TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)
06:00 Marmul 16:50 Daily
SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102)
15:00 Dubai 07:00 Daily
TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)
06:00 Sohar 08:30 Daily
06:00 Dubai 11:30 Daily
13:00 Sohar 15:30 Wed,Thur
13:00 Dubai 18:30 Wed,Thur
15:00 Sohar 17:35 Daily
15:00 Dubai 20:55 Daily
TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)
07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily
07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily
07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily
TO MUSCAT (RUWI)
Dept Destination Arrival Operatingtime time days
FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)
05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily
05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily
05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily
TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)
07:00 Sohar 08:55 Daily
07:00 Ruwi 11:40 Daily
13:30 Ruwi 20:20 Daily via Ibri
13:00 Sohar 14:55 Daily
13:00 Ruwi 17:40 Daily
13:00 Sohar 19:20 Daily
17:00 Ruwi 22:15 Daily
TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)
07:00 Ruwi 10:25 Daily
TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)
06:00 Nizwa 08:40 Daily
06:00 Ruwi 11:00 Daily
TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)
15:40 Nizwa 17:55 Daily
15:40 Ruwi 20:20 Daily
TO SUR (ROUTE 55)
06:00 Ruwi 10:45 Daily
14:30 Ruwi 19:00 Daily
TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)
12:30 Fahud 13:15 Daily
12:30 Ruwi 17:30 Daily
TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)
07:00 Ruwi 19:50 Daily
10:00 Marmul 13:15 Daily
10:00 Ruwi 22:30 Daily
19:00 Ruwi 07:30 Daily
TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)
06:00 Marmul 16:30 Daily
DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)
15:00 Salalah 07:00 Daily
TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)
07:30 Sohar 10:50 Daily
07:30 Ruwi 13:40 Daily
13:00 Sohar 16:15 Thur-Fri
13:00 Ruwi 19:10 Thur-Fri
15:30 Sohar 18:45 Daily
15:30 Ruwi 21:35 Daily
FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)
16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily
16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily
16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily
CITY CINEMAContact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.netfacebook.com/citycinemaoman
SHATTIEddie the Eagle (Biography | Drama) PGCast: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman2:45, 7:00PM10 Clover field Lane (Drama |Horror) 12+ Cast: John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.11:45PMHigh Rise (Drama | Sci- Fic | Action) 15+ Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons4:45 & 11:30PMQueen of the Desert (Biography) 12+ Cast: James Franco, Nicole Kidman6:45 & 9:15PMKi & Ka (Romance | Comedy) PG12 Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan9:00PMBatman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice – 3D (Action, Adventure, Fantasy) PG12Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams2:30, 5:30, 8:30 & 11:30PMKung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (Animation) PGVoice Overs: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston3:00 & 5:00PM
MUSCAT GRAND MALLBatman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice – 3D (PG12) Action, Adventure, Fantasy12:00, 2:50, 5:45, 8:45, 11:45 PMGold Class – 2:30, 5:20, 8:15, 11:15 PMKi & Ka – 2D (PG12) Romance | ComedyCast: Kareena Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan9:00, 11:30 PMKung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (PG) Animation 1:00, 5:00, 7:00 PMZootropolis – 3D (PG12) Animation | Action| Voice Overs: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bate-man, Idris Elba2:55 PM
PANORAMA MALLBatman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice-
3D (Action, Adventure) (PG12)Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams3:15, 6:15, 9:00, 11:45 PMBatman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice-3D (Action, Adventure) (PG12)-VIP LOUNGE3:15, 6:00, 8:45, 11:30 PMBatman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (Action, Adventure) (MX4D) (PG12)3:00, 5:45, 8:30, 11:15 PMKung Fu Panda 3-3D (Animation) (PG)2:45, 4:45 PMMisconduct-2D (Drama, Thriller) (12+)Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino5:30, 11:30 PMEddie the Eagle -2D (Biography) (PG)Cast: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman3:00, 9:30 PMQueen of Desert-2D (Biography) (12+)James Franco, Nicole Kidman, Robert Pattinson7:00, 11:15 PMHigh Rise -2D (Drama, Sci-Fi) (15+)Cast: Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller6:30 PMKi & Ka-2D (Romance, Comedy)(15+)Kareena Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan6:30 PM
AZAIBA Batman vs Superman:Dawn of Justice (3D) (Action |Adventure | Fantasy) (PG12) Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams3:15, 6:15, 9:00, 11:45 PMKung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (Animation| Action | Adventure) (PG)2:30, 4:30 PMRocky Handsome (2D) (Action) (12+) Cast: John Abraham, Shruti Hassan3:30, 11:15 PMKi & Ka (2D) (Romance | Comedy) (TBC) Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Amitabha Bacchan2:45, 5:15, 7:45, 10:15, 11:30 PMVettah (2D) (Thriller) (PG12) Cast: Manju Warrier, Kunchako Boban6:00, 9:15 PMThozha (2D) (Comedy | Drama) (PG12) Cast: Nagarjuna, Tammanah6:15, 8:15 PM
RUWIScreen 1Ki & Ka (Drama/ Comedy/ Romance) –PG12Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan2.30, 5.30, 8.30, 11.30 PM
Screen 2Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Action/Adventure) –PG12Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams3.30, 6.15, 11.45 PMKapoor & Sons (Drama / Family) –PG12Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, Rishi Kapoor9.00 PMScreen 3Rocky Handsome (Action/ Thriller) –12+Cast: John Abraham, Shruti Haasan3.30, 11.45 PMKapoor & Sons (Drama / Family) –PG12Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, Rishi Kapoor6.15 PMBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Action/Adventure) –PG12Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams9.00 PM
SURBatman Vs Superman 3D (Action | Adventure | Fantasy) (PG12) Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams.3:15, 9:30 PM.
10 Cloverfield Lane (Horror | Thriller ) ( 12+ ) Cast : John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr. 7:30, 11:45 PMHigh Rise (Drama | Sci - Fi | Action) (15+) Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Iron3:30, 6:00PM.Vettah (Thriller) (PG12) Cast: Kunchako Boban, Manju Warrier.8:15 PM.Ki & Ka (Romance) (TBC) Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan10:30 PM.
SOHARBatman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice– 3D (Action, Adventure, Fantasy) (PG12)Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams2:30, 5:30, 8:30, 11:30PMEddie the Eagle – 2D (Biography) (PG)Cast: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman2:45, 5:00, 7:15 PMMisconduct – 2D (Drama, Thriller) (12+)Cast: Josh Duhamel, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino6:45,11:45PMKung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (Animation | Action| Adventure) (PG)Voice Overs: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman4:45PMDegrade– 2D (Arabic, Drama) (PG)Cast: Hiam Abbas, Maisa Abd Elhadi, Huda Al Imam, 5:15PMQueen of the Desert -2D (Biography) (12+)Cast: James Franco, Nicole Kidman3:00, 9:15PMHigh Rise – 2D (Drama, Sci- Fic, Action) (15+)Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons3:00, 11:45PMRocky Handsome – 2D (Action, Thriller) Cast: John Abraham, Nishikant Kamat7:00PMKi & Ka– 2D (Romance, Comedy) (PG12)Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan8:45, 11:45PMVettah – 2D (Thriller) (PG12)Cast: Faha Manju Warrier, Kunchako Boban9:15PM
BURAIMIKung Fu Panda 3 (Animation |Action|) (PG)
Voice Overs: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston5.00PM10 Clover field Lane (Drama |Horror) (12+) Cast: John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.3.00, 5.15, 11.45PMHigh Rise (Drama | Sci- Fic | Action) Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons3.00, 6.45, 9.30PMBatman VS Superman 3D (Action) PG 12 Cast: Ben Affleck,Henry Cavill, Amy Adams3.30, 6.15, 9.00, 11.45PMKi & Ka (Romance | Comedy) TBCCast: Arjun Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan9.00, 11.30PMVettah (Thriller) PG12Cast: Manju Warrier, Kunchako Boban7.15PM
SALALAH
Batman Vs Superman (3D) (PG12) (Action) Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams11:30AM, 2:30, 5:30, 8:30, 11:30PMKung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (PG) (Animation) Voice Overs: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston4:45PMEddie the Eagle (2D) (PG) (Biograph)Cast: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman11:00AM, 3:00, 11:45PM10 Clover field Lane (2D) (12+) (Drama)Cast: John Goodman, ohn Gallagher Jr.1:05,5:00PMQueen of the Desert (2D) (12+) (Biography) Cast: James Franco, Nicole Kidman2:15, 7:05PMMisconduct (2D) (12+) (Drama / Thriller)Cast: Josh Duhamel, Anthony Hopkins12:15, 6:35PMKi & Ka (2D) (PG12) (Romance | Comedy)Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan8:45PMRocky Handsome (2D) (12+) (Action | Thriller)Cast: John Abraham, Shruti Haasan, Nishikant Kamath11:15PMVettah (2D) (PG12) (Mal) (Comedy / Drama)Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Soubin Shahir, Aparna Balamurali9:25PM
CINEMA SCHEDULE CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 3 YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE CINEMA | BOX-OFFICE COUNTER OPENS 30-MINUTES PRIOR TO THE SCREENING OF THE FIRST SHOW
@ RUWI @ SOHAR
Ki & Ka (Drama/ Comedy/ Romance) –PG12Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan2.30, 5.30, 8.30, 11.30 PM
Queen of the Desert -2D (Biography) (12+)Cast: James Franco, Nicole Kidman3:00, 9:15PM
BAHJA CINEMAFilm information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: (Action / Adventure / Fantasy)Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams12.45, 3.30, 6.15, 9.00 & 11.45 PM. CP No: 375 (PG12)
10 Clover field Lane (Horror / Drama)Cast: John Goodman, Mary Eliozabeth, John Gallgher Jr.4.00, 8.00, 10.00 & 11.45 PM. CP No: 406 (12+)
Degrade: (Arabic) (Drama)Cast: Hiam Abbas, Maisa Abd Elhadi, Huda Al Imam2.00 & 6.00 PMCP No: 407 (PG)
STAR CINEMAFilm information 24791641 / 24786776
Website: www.isurf.co.om
Oopiri (Telugu) (Comedy & Drama) Cast: Nagarjuna, Karthi & Tamanna 3:00 PM Cinema Main\ 6:45 & 9:45 PM Cinema-3 Vettah (Mal) (Thriller) Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Manju Warrier 3:45PM Cinema -3 \ 6:30 PM Cinema-2 \ 10: 00 PM Cinema MainThozha (Tamil) (Comedy \ Drama) Cast: Karthi, Nagarjuna & Tamanna 3:30 & 9:30 PM Cinema-2 \ 6:30 PM Cinema MainAction Hero Biju (Mal) (act\ comedy) Cast: Nivin Pauly & Anu Emmanuel 3:45 & 9:45 PM Cinema - 4Maheshinte Prathikaram (Mal) ( Comedy & Drama) Cast: Fahad Faasil & Anusree 6:45 PM Cinema-4 Next Change: Sardaar Gabbar Singh (Telugu)
Programmes are subject to change
@ SHATTI
Eddie the Eagle (Biography | Drama) PGCast: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman2:45, 7:00PM
WEATHER
310
Maximum
240
Minimum
TEMPERATURE
80-30%RELATIVE HUMIDITY
Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 17 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to [email protected]
WITH LOVE
HARVIN CHERIAN BINUMarch 31, 2013
VISHAK .VMarch 31
LIFESTYLEC7T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
Shangri-La Barr Al Jis-sah Resort & Spa will be hosting an exclusive Wedding Fair event on Friday, 22 April 2016
at the Barr Al Jissah ballroom. As Shangri-La Muscat has become a highly popular destination for weddings, locally and internation-ally, there’s no more perfect venue to host such an extensive Wedding Fair than the resort. Showcasing the best the resort has to off er, cou-pled with the fi nest off erings of the exhibitors participating, this event is not to be missed.
The Wedding Fair itself will follow an exquisite garden theme throughout and will include ex-hibitors such as fashion designers, fl orists, photographers and events management companies. This will be a truly spectacular event with special surprises throughout the day for brides-to-be, an exclu-sive fashion show, as well as the opportunity to meet over 40 wed-ding specialists to help plan the perfect wedding.
With various picturesque wed-ding locations available within the resort, from scenic outdoor venues
to the luxurious ballroom that can accommodate up to 800 guests, customised charming wedding decorations to exquisite dining of-ferings, weddings held at Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa are magical events and create memo-ries for a lifetime.
The event will start from 2pm onwards and will be held at the Barr Al Jissah ballroom located in Al Bandar Hotel. For more infor-mation and enquiries, call Events team on +968 2477 6213 or email [email protected]. — [email protected]
Create Memoriesfor a Lifetime
Wedding Fair on April 22 at Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa
I t does not often happen but this week it did, to me. The overworked sales girl literally
shoved the change in my hand so she could serve another customer. I was aware that she was slightly rude to almost every customer who was queuing up to pay. Since it was not my business to reprimand her, I pushed the trolley away and found a corner where I could stuff the change in my wallet. It was then that I realised that I had too much change in my hand.
I checked the receipt and
checked it again. The silly girl gave me half of the things I had in the trolley free. Rich supermarkets don’t pay counter girls much money and the manager would surely dock it from her wages. In a way, it was ironic and perhaps poetic justice when you come to think that usu-ally big supermarkets overcharge people. It was tempting to walk away but my conscience wouldn’t have it. So I wheeled back the trol-ley and managed to attract her at-tention by waving the receipt in the air. She looked at me and scornfully mouthed the words, “What?” while she furiously shoved food in a bag. I tapped the receipt and said I had to pay her back money. She thought I had a complaint and asked me to go and see the complaint desk. I was aware that people were staring at me. I backed out and had a quiet discussion with my troubled con-science. Why should I make myself a fool in front of a couple of dozen people? So I reached a compromise with the stupid ethics that some-times rule my head. I walked away but straight to the complaint desk. A bored looking young man lis-tened carefully at me and then gave
the receipt a good look. “What are you? The last of the saints?” But the fear of getting the sack prompted him to say, “This is not a complaint. I would need to call the manager.”
I told him that it would probably cost the girl her job if the manager knew about it. He shrugged his shoulders and called the manager anyway. It took a quarter of an hour for the manager to show up. By then, I already regretted the deci-sion of reporting it to him. I had people waiting at home and my fro-zen food was thawing very fast.
The manager snatched the re-ceipt from my hand and walked quickly to the cash register. I was left stranded at the complaint desk not exactly knowing what to do next. It took another quarter of an hour to get the whole thing settled. I felt like I was held hostage during the half-an-hour ordeal.
Well, at least, I said to myself as I was driving home, I would sleep easy that night. Returning little money to a rich business is a drop in the ocean but you and I are not exactly powerful swim-mers when it comes to a strong tide of our conscience.
The Strong Tide of My Conscience
SO TO SPEAK
SALEHAL SHAIBANY
Rocky S excited to share fashion tips on his new online shop
With an aim to open the world of fashion and stylish trends, fashion designer Rocky S will enter the virtual realm with a show titled Conversations with Rocky. The designer, who is styling megastar Rajinikanth for his upcoming fi lm Robot 2, has teamed up with One Digital
Entertainment, a digital video and creator network, for the show. “Creativity is something that I look for within all aspects of life and being a part of the designing world fulfi ls my hunger to create, and getting into the digital world will help me expand those horizons even more by reaching out to the global audience,” Rocky S said.
BR I E FS
This will be a truly
spectacular event
with special surprises
throughout the day for
brides-to-be
PH
OT
O W
IRE
S
JLo gives dance tips to ‘JCo’ James Corden“The Late Late Show” host James Corden celebrated one year on the air with singer-actress Jennifer Lopez giving him some dancing tips. Lopez appeared on his “Carpool Karaoke Primetime Special” episode. Corden fi rst shared a few nicknames with Lopez. “You’re JLo, I could be JCo,” he suggested. “I think we should make a rap group together,” Lopez replied. — IANS
LIFESTYLEC8 T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
HER MIND IN FLAMESLast chance to see Soile Yli-Mäyry’s ‘Asphalt Light’ exhibit at Stal Gallery, ending tomorrow
There she was amid her art at Stal Gallery dressed in a spectacular hand-printed gown that made it seem as if she had walked out of one
of her paintings, taking with her its fl aming colours and striking imagery. Soile Yli-Mäyry’s con-temporary Tudor-style gown was splashed with bright sunfl ower yellow and distinguished by in-decipherable black markings as are her paintings. Her impossi-bly tiny waist and the ballooning lines of the fl uted skirt turned Soile and her gown-painting into a living sculpture.
All around Soile were blasts of colour on canvas. Colour is one of the hallmarks of Soile Yli-Mäyry’s art. She sees primary colours (red, green, blue, yellow) in their jewelled essence – ruby, emerald, sapphire, and the yel-low sun. On her canvases, Soile releases each colour into its in-ner spectrum of bright hues. Ruby is a rainbow with shades of crimson, scarlet, deep pink, and light burgundy. Emerald comes in radiant waves of lagoon green, freshly risen grass, and subtle ap-ple hues. Sapphire is expressed in optimistic shades of blue – the colour of the sky in spring, robin’s-egg turquoise, aquama-rine, and deep, rolling cerulean blue from the waters of the South Pacifi c. Yellow emerges from the
sun-drenched earth as daff odils do, and as golden-orange fl ames rise from fi res in the darkness of night. But colour, no matter how dramatically expressed, is noth-ing without form and implication. Soile’s brilliant sense of design and expressive symbolism take colour into another dimension.
The existential theme that guides the work of this artist is the alienation of the human being from nature in the modern urban context where more than half the global population exists. The percentage is much higher in developed coun-tries such as in Finland, Soile’s home country, where eighty-fi ve per cent of the population lives in cities. Titles of Soile Yli-Mäyry’s paintings, such as Burning Con-crete and Asphalt Dreams illumi-nate this vital theme.
Solitary fi gures of human be-ings, sometimes depicted up-side-down or sideways are sketched in a primitive style that suggests not only the drawings of children, but also those painted in caves many thousands of years ago, as she brings the ancient past to bear upon the present. These fi gures and similar ones of animals and birds are squeezed into elongated forms by compositional forces of colour and texture. As I studied a panorama of Soile’s paintings in a book on her art, Climate of the Soul by the renowned British art
critic, Edward Lucie-Smith, it was with pleasure that I began to see Soile in some of the fi gures – the upward slant of an eye, a quizzi-cal mouth, a line of trailing hair. Hidden self-portraits.
Soile works exclusively with a palette knife, innovatively using the sharp end as well as the fl at blade. Hours and hours are spent crafting eloquent textures and the fi nest of fi ne white lines — with symphonic results. Literally mil-lions of white lines seem to form a thin, translucent sheet of water fl owing almost musically over some of the canvasses. In a con-trasting technique, paint is carefully sculpted into forms in bas-relief, of-ten representing the head of a per-son. The artist’s ingenuity is such that each painting is a world unto itself. This exciting and sump-tuous exhibition also includes small totemic sculptures in richly coloured Murano glass.
Over the past three decades, Soile Yli-Mäyry has exhibited in some 30 countries with more than 300 solo exhibitions in the Americas, Asia and Europe. And in Finland, Soile’s homeland, there is a beautiful Museum bearing her name and dedicated to her art. The exhibition, titled Asphalt Light, continues until April 1st 2016 at Stal Gallery, located at Villa 221, Al Inshirah Street in Madinat Qaboos.
Story Patricia Groves
Photos Shabin E
W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O MSECTION
CONNECT H E D A I LY G U I D E
D
D4 VACANCY CARGO D7
T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
RENT D2
*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication.
* Subject to space availability
FOR SALE Used Concrete Pump
Sany43 Meter,Model
2011 in very good
condition @
100000/-Riyal Omani.
Contact-99412020,95728453
Email:[email protected]
*Tourist visa arranged
Email: [email protected] classifi [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461
FOR RENT
D2 T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
FOR RENT
For viewing please call 99466729, 99316410, 92841690, 91313271, 24694088 or email us on :[email protected]
Mtr. Facing main RoadHAR Complex MSQ : 2,3-BHK Flats and 2 & 3 BHK villas with
Qurum : 6 BHK villa with garden, split Acs, shaded car parks, servant rooms
Darsait : 1 & 2-BHK Flats with AC & Shop Ruwi : 2-BHK & 3-BHK Flats and shopsAl Amerat : 2 & 3-BHK Flat , 3 & 4-BHK Villa with A/C
DAILY GUIDE
3 Rooms, 2 Toilets Flat for Rent. 18
November Street. Near Mars Hyper-
market and The Chedi. Ghobrah -Good
for Commercial or Residential use.
OMR 295/- month. Call 94477222
Conditioned room with toilets in Al
Khuwair. #92620858 /92605500
2B/R with 3 toilets directly from
owner, near Dolphin Complex
Bausher. Contact 92158031
2 BHK fully furnished fl at at Ruwi
MBD area. #93211557 / 24814853
4 BHK, 2 bathroom private terrace
at Ruwi opposite Oman Express
Restaurant rent 360/-PM , 2 BHK
one toilet, one bathroom separate at
Darsait walkable to ISM rent 200/-
pm. Contact : 99354975 / 99065900
Flat in Wadi Al Kabir 2 bedrooms, 1
living room, 1 family hall, kitchen & 3
bathrooms. Contact: 99277787
Modern offi ce space for rent at
MBD area, near Atlas Hospital
with full local support by Omani
if required. Contact 92882029 /
98825806, [email protected]
3 BHK fl ats and shop in Ruwi near
KM Trading rent 350/- pm each.
Contact: 99350946
2 bed rooms for family with split
units with car parking shaded at Al
Hail North. Contact: 92676707
Apartment for rent at Amerat
phase one with A/Cs, 3 bedrooms
& bath rooms, big kitchen 220/-
OMR. Contact: 97782228
Luxury fl at of 3 BHK in Al
Watayah. RO 500/-#91776665
2BHK Wadi Kabir R.O 300/-. Con-
tact: 92144045
Flat in Al Khuwair opp grand mall
4 room 3 toilet + hall kitchen in 3
fl oor 400. Contact 99420346
For rent 3 bedrooms, 2 toilets,
living room, kitchen & store in
Darsait. Contact: 92328142
1000 sq mtrs industrial land for
rent in Ghala suitable for ware-
house workshop etc. Contact
24700120 / 92584715
2 bed rooms fl at with hall, 2
bathrooms in Darsait near Muscat
Municipality. Contact: 92584715 /
24700120
Flat at Bowshar, 2 bedroom,1 maid
room, 4 toilets European kitchen
for rent / sale. Contact: 99325263
Offi ce for rent 880 sqm at Al Khu-
wair. Contact: 99325263
2BHK Al Khuwair R.O 375/-. Con-
tact: 92144045
2BHK at Ghubra R.O 325/-. Con-
tact: 92144045
1BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/-. Contact:
92144045
1,2,3 BHK Flats. #92144045
1BHK Darsait. Contact: 92144045
1 Bed room, sharing K& T, R.O 100,
2 bedrooms , sharing K& T R.O
200/- in Al Khuwair. #95154331
2 BR, 2 bath, a kitchen, a yard
, with AC, separate enterance,
AlKhuwair near ibis hotel. PDC. RO
250 .. Call 97056443
Readymade offi ce space for rent
(240sm) in Bank Melli Iran Build-
ing, MBD area, Ruwi, opposite
Center point. Contact: 99011352
Flat of 3 BHK in Al Ghobra South
opposite Royal Hospital. RO 380/-.
Contact – 91776665
Clean fl at of 2 BHK in Al Khuwair
33. RO 330/- Contact – 91776665
2BHK available in Ghubra near
Al Maha Hotel and Mumtaz area
Ruwi. Contact: 99269751
1 BHK fl at with 1split and 1 win-
dow AC, next to Indian School Ghu-
bra for rent at RO 270/-. Contact:
98867658 / between 4pm - 10pm
Villa at Azaiba 7 rooms with at-
tach bath on 18th November road.
Contact: 99224748 / 99332297
Amazing fl at of 2 BHK in Remal
Building. RO 550/- #91776665
Shops / fl ats available in Honda
Road, Ruwi & Mabellah Indus-
trial area. Contact 24833972/
24833974/ 99367448
Flats for rent in Wadi Kabir. Con-
tact: 99376454
5 fl oor building for rent in Al Khu-
wair near Muscat Dunes hotel each
fl oor, 3 fl ats each fl at with 2 BHK.
Contact : 93223324
Villa in Al-Khuwair 33. Quality Fin-
ishing. Consist 5 Bedrooms, 1 Liv-
ing room, 3 Lounges, All with A/C,
Kitchen and storage . #90665135
2,200 sq mtr factory area & 800
sq mtr store with 8 accommoda-
tion rooms and 10 offi ce cabins
available for rent in Barka indus-
trial area. Contact 91398381 / 80 /
78, email - [email protected]
3 storey villa at Mawaleh 7
bedrooms + 6 attached, toilets + 2
Kitchens. Contact: 93697325
Furnished offi ce (61M2) for sale
/ rent Al Khuwair near Zawawi
Mosque. Contact: 95611569
Cold storage available for rent at
Nizwa, capacity – 40 ton. #99371732
or nfi [email protected]
Flat for rent in South AlGhubrah
3 rooms, hall and 3 toilets, kitchen
rent 450/-. Contact: 99335580
Flats, shops and basement in
MBD area and Honda road.
Contact: 92433127/96291778/
92589235/97293708
2 BHK fl ats /offi ce & shops avail-
able in a new building at Honda
road .Contact: 91165807
Commercial land in Ghala 2500sqm
for rent #93506187 / 97684266
2 BHK & 1 BHK Flats for rent
Muttrah near Oman house S/ AC.
Contact: 97007934 / 92629232
02 BHK residential fl at opposite
to Al Nahdha hospital.
Contact: 99342733 /99795241
New fl ats for rent at Darsait near
to Ministry of Sports, Mumtaz area
the fl ats includes, 1 living room, 2
bedroom, kitchen, 3 toilets, every
rooms with split A/C high quality
fi nishing rent per fl at is R.O 340/- .
Interested candidates please Con-
tact : 00968 92225523
1 Bed room, sharing K& T, R.O 100,
2 bedrooms , sharing K& T R.O
200/- in AL Khuwair. #95154331
2 BHK fl ats with split Ac available for
rent at Al Khuwair 33. #94057023
Flat for rent 2 BHK 2 split A/C, 2
toilets, Wadi Kabir near Kuwaiti
Masjid. #97007934 / 92629232
Two bedrooms fl at in Al Ghobrah
near Oman Oil of 18 November Street.
OMR 330 Monthly. #99333479 or
95215360 or 97509955.
2 BR fl ats with 2Baths Kitchen
Al Amerat Aster Hospital #99366142
Luxury villa of 5 BHK in Al Khu-
wair 33 RO.650/- contact 91776665
Warehouse at Wadikabir - total
area 3500 sqm - covered ware-
house (500sqm), offi ce,
accommodation (1000sqm), open
area (2000sqm) please
contact: 99273774 - 99202278
3BHK in Qurum P.D.O high 350/-
Monthly. Contact: 99342661
2 BHK – modern & spacious fl ats
with split ac for rent in Qurum near
PDO gate no. 2. contact 94057023
Store with cold store in Wadi
kabir. Contact: 99374977
For rent and investment Land
industrial shops in Rusayl.
Contact: 99323957 / 95490842
2 B/R Luxury Fully Furnished @
Al Khuwair 33 1 B/R Luxury Fully
Furnished @ Al Khuwair
5 B/R Fully Furnished villa @ Ma-
dinat Al Ilam 5 B/R Fully Furnished
villa @ Madinat Al Ilam. For Daily,
Weekly, monthly or Yearly contract.
Please Contact: Atlas Real Estate
& Rent a Car LLC 99249069 /
994617563/92888376 / 24834888E
mail: [email protected]
Dental chair and mobile dental X
Ray for sale. Contact: 92737149
OFFICES FOR RENT AT AZAIBAPrime location on service road (previously occupied by A'Saffa Foods) near Al Turky and Mazda showroom.
- 2 BHK flat available directly from the owner, at Azaiba.
Contact: 99229263, 93221054, 95215289
FOR RENTStore space in Al
Wattayah.Contact
99382489 / 99263443
Commercial fl ats of 3 & 2 BHK
in Al Ghobra North 18 Nov street
RO.650/- & 450/- #91776665
Four bedroom two fl oors luxurious
and spacious residential villa in
Al Hail North, near to the sea and
Oman oil. Each room has its own
bathroom. It has splits A/C’s and
shaded car park. OMR 750 month-
ly. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or
97509955
2BHK split A/C 200/- Monthly
& 1BHK spilt A/C 150/- monthly
new building good location Barka
Market. Contact: 99342661
600 M2 showroom or offi ce in
Bousher in front of Dolphin complex.
RO.3.5 per m2. Contact 91776665
Brand new 4 BHK villa in Al Fai
compound Al Khoud. RO.475/-
Contact – 91776665
Villa of 3 BHK and sitting area in
Al Ghobra North. RO.525/-
Contact – 91776665
Luxury and brand new semi
furnished 2 BHK fl at in Remalbow-
sher. RO.550/- #91776665
Spacious 1 BHK fl at in Al Wattaya
with all split A/C’s and parking.
RO.300/-Contact – 91776665
Flats available for rent 1 BHK & 2
BHK good condition with split AC
Al Khuwair near Muscat Holiday.
Contact: 94227178
1BHK at Al-Hamriya, B-2397,
Way-5935 near Muscat Pharmacy.
Contact: 99224748 / 99332297
2BHK Big Size Flat Behind Bank
Muscat, Wadi Kabir. Near ISWK.
97826454, 24815012.
MONTHLY RENTNEAR AL FALAJ HOTEL
FURNISHED DELUXE 1
B/RM WITH 2
bathrooms,
SPLIT A/C, BUILT IN
WARDROBE,PRIVATE
TERRACE.
Contact :
990 49 722
DAILY GUIDET H U R S D AY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6 D3
FOR SALE
FOR SALEFOR RENT
For sale.25 year old well running
clinic for sale in Amerat..Some-
one interested to invest and run
the clinic also may contact Tel
99874336
Window A/Cs & other house hold
items. Contact 92622506
Ice Cream Juice shop prime
location Ruwi for sale suitable for
beauty parlour. Contact:
92150455
Furniture and other treatment
items for Ayurvedic clinic. Contact:
97986525
Shop for sale at Ruwi center.
Contact: 98787853
600 sq mtrs residential land in
Maabela Phase 4 Block 3 OMR 65
Thousand.CONTACT 99333479 or
95215360
600 sq mtrs residential land in
Maabela Phase 4 Block 4 OMR
65 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or
95215360 or 97509955
Zanzibari coff ee shop for rent or
sale in Barka Souq road, at Prime
location. Contact: 99814411
2 storey villa, 5 rooms with at-
tached bath,1 hall & kitchen at
Madinat Sultan Qaboos under
fi nishing. Contact
99778773
Single colorful Bed and Sofa
for Sale at Al Khuwair.CON-
TACT 92881849 /What`s up No
97290565
Steel Scrap materials for immedi-
ate sale CONTACT 99273774/
99202278
Almost new beach/ garden lounge
chairs /bar stools/ counter. Photos
can be sent 95865457
400 sq mtrs Commercial/Resi-
dential land in Mabela Phase 5
Block 2. OMR 165 Thousand.
CONTACT 99333479 or 95215360
or 97509955
A well running pharmacy for
sale at prime location. Contact-
99627621, 93240949
Space for printing press available
at wadikabir with or without
machinery. Contact 99328430
Shop for sale near Oman House,
Muttrah. Contact 99024362.
BUYING
Buying cars for cash. CONTACT
90202090
Bobcat available for rent. CONTACT
97623299
TRANSPORTATION
TRANSPORTATION
Pick and Drop Al Khuwair to
Rusayl. Contact 96733572 /
91287470
Picking and dropping any time.
Contact: 97403088
GOOD NEWS
Ayurvedic treatment for joint
pain, backache, paralysis,
massage, steambath, obesity,
spondylitis. Ideal Care Ayurve-
dic Clinic, 18 November Street,
Azaiba.
Contact: 99639695 / 97397320
Ayurvedic treatment for
backache, paralysis, arthritis etc
& massage, All Season (Vaid-
yaratnam).Contact:24475280 /
95371664 / 92504980 www.
siddhayur.com
FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to
know more about Islam, please
call: 99425598, 99250777,
99353988, 99253818,
99341395, and 99379133. For
ladies: 99415818, 99321360,
99730723
Orvisit:www.islamfact.com
DRIVING
AVAILABLE
Party & Wedding equipment rentals.
Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirt-
ing, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery,
Crockery, Glassware, Chafi ng Dishes,
Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound
Systems and spectacular lighting.
Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering
and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound &
Light. ww.tunesoman.com,
E-mail: [email protected]
ACC. AVAILABLE
Big room with separate bath-
room, couples family working
lady at Badr Al Sama Clinic Al
Khuwair. Contact 99796500 /
97318878
Separate room available Al Khuwair
near Blue Radisson sharing kitchen,
toilet rent R.O 120/-. Contact:
96930219
Furnished Bedroom with at-
tached bath and kitchen separate
entrance for Executive bachelor
for R.O 150/- per month all inclu-
sive in a villa, opp. Star Cinema.
contact 99314807
Sharing accommodation avail-
able behind Honda showroom,
Wattayah for Executive Bachelor
/ single lady. Contact: 96390334
2 bedrooms fl at near Kuwait
Masjid Wadi Kabir. Contact:
97608564 / 98498823
Single room B/K sharing Mumtaz
area. Contact : 95212017
Small old house for rent in Al
Ghoubra. Contact : 97165972
Room available for Executive
bachelor at Al Hail. #96234708
Furnished apartment for rent,
two rooms, majlis, hall, kitchen.
Near Carrefour al-mawalah. Con-
tact 99336776
Room with attached bathroom for
a family in Wadi Kabir. CONTACT
97167857
Room for rent with furniture.
Al Bustan village. contact
93687466
Furnished room attached bath
for Indian bachelor, Al-Falaj
Ruwi & lady Wadi Kabir near
Mars hypermarket. CONTACT
96202458/96761960
Furnish bedroom with attach
bathroom for executive bachelor.
Contact: 97704794
Room with attached bathroom
and sharing kitchen available for
Executive bachelor or small family
at wadikabir Contact 93049849
Room available in Mumtaz area
1 room, 1 Bathroom, Kitchen & 1
room, common bathroom. Inter-
ested please contact 92680041
Mr. Altaf
FOR HIRE
Grader, roller, bobcat, JCB 3CX, JCB 4CX with breaker & water
tanker for rent. contact 93218705 /
24478450
WANTEDLOST
IELTS Coaching (academic) required
nearby wadi Kabir area. Please call
on mobile or msg on Whats up. Mo-
bile no: 92927880/99012165
Mohmmed Saraj has lost Bangla-
deshi Passport No. AC 9706592 .
Finder please handover to ROP
MATRIMONIAL
MATRIMONIAL
KERALA-NAMBIAR BOY- 28yr/175cm from Kannur. Work-
ing as Pharmacist in Muscat,
seeks suitable alliance 92042355.
Graduate Syrian Orthodox girl 26
years working in Oman MOH as
Staff Nurse seeks proposals from
parents of suitable boy, preferably
those working in Oman. Contact:
95907146 / +91 8904329166
NRI
Housing in a well developed area
for sale in Mangalore 100 meters
from Main road at: Malaraya
Temple Road, Chilimbi Near Urva
stores, Mangalore -Karnataka,
India Land: 181.60 Sq.mts, House
built in the year 1986 consisting
of ground fl oor and fi rst fl oor. Total
build up area around 2000 Sq.ft
with car parking. Separate water
and electricity connections. Con-
tact: Anil Kumar: +91 97418 85128
(between 12 noon till 10 pm).
Flats villas land for sale in Pune
Contact: 95272138/
918139098275
Flat for rent 3 bedrooms + hall
with split units air conditioning at
Al Amerat near Aledl Mosque Ibn
Sina road Al Mahaj house No. 105.
Contact: 99312628 / 95098277
1BHK new bldg with A/C, Curtains
near Khimji Mart MBD. Contact:
99061409 / 99024039
Urgent sale of steel scrap only
serious buyers kindly contact
+968 96725423 for viewing the
items.
HD Scaff oldings, Shuttering
Jacks, Wooden Planks, Shuttering
wood assorted, Tower hoist (lift),
Concrete Mixer, Bending Machine,
Steel Fabrication Machinery
(Searing/Cutting, lathe & Welding)
including tools for immediate sale:
Contact 99273774/ 99202278
Transportation pick and drop
with Nissan Sunny 2012 model
A/C. Contact: 97224035
Transportation. contact
91703829
Transportation. Contact
99508282
Transportation. contact
92015894
Transportation available Ruwi
to Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.
Contact: 91103909
Nair boy 31 /175 cms working in
Muscat Pooram star wants suitable
bride. Contact : 95501263
Malankara Catholic Male Nurse (28) from Thiruvalla working in
Nizwa Private Co. Alliance invites
parents/nurses working in Oman.
#968 98267338, 0091 9287215726
Indian male Roman Catholic 40yrs divorcee working in Muscat.
Seeks suitable alliance from
widow/ divorcee/ single. CONTACT
96059801.
Required Used Generator
350-400 KVA used
Generator(preferabl
y enclosed type) is
required in Salalah.
Contact 95821052
DAILY GUIDED4 T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT
SITUATION WANTEDSIT.WANTED
SITUATION WANT-SIT.WANTED
Email: [email protected] classifi [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624
DRIVER
MEDICAL
ACCOUNT. & FINANCE
DOMESTIC HELP
ACCOUNT. & FINANCE
ACCOUNT. & FINANCE
Looking for a young dynamic Ac-
countant with knowledge of AX
Package for a multinational shipping
company. Email your CV to: shipping-
Required experienced Account-
ant preferably Indian Nationality.
Send your resume :
[email protected] Tel:
968 24494748
Wanted house boy for an Indian
doctor family. Interested may con-
tact 94765020.
Required Draftsman for Consultancy
offi ce. 3-5 years experience in Archi-
tectural Structural Drafting. Email
Required Graduate with light driv-
ing license, present in Oman contrast
basis. Contact: 99454425
Wanted driver. Contact : 91025698
Required following Medical Staff
for a clinic in Muscat female GP
Doctor male, female Nurse (prefer-
ence for Philippines). Contact:
24595956 / 95189584 Email:
Lab Technician, Omani Female
PRO cum Receptionist, Male
Receptionist cum Insurance
Coordinator, Specialist Doctor
Radiologist, General Practitioners,
Cont.95220350, bmdcsg@yahoo.
com
Doctor’s, Nurses, Pharmacist,
Lab Tech, any Nationalities. For
Dreams Clinic : Towershr70@
gmail.com , Tel No. 24548382
Required for a reputed Medical
Center in Al Khuwair, Medical Mar-
keting Executive with experience.
Please send CV : absmc2013@
gmail.com FAX: 24488660
Wanted Staff Nurse for
a dermatology clinic in Muscat .
Must have MOH license and NOC.
Attractive salary off ered. Email:
Required gynecologist GEN: practitioner lady lab Technician and pharmacologist immediately
for a clinic in Suwaiq. #95081010
Email: [email protected]
GP doctor needed for reputed
clinic. Preferably with MOH license
or with Datafl ow & Paramatics
pass Contact: 95388934
SALES / MARKETING
SALES / MARKETING
DRAFTSMAN
ENGINEER/MECHANIC.
Required Bachelor of Civil Engineer-
ing for Supervision for Consultancy
offi ce. 5 years experience in Supervi-
sion PMC duties in Oman preferred.
Email : [email protected]
Required urgently for Mechanical
Engineer, B.E / Diploma having good
experience in Automobile & Engineer-
ing workshop. Contact: 98919238
Email: [email protected]
I.T.I Electrician experienced in
Industrial L.T & H.T category work
preferably in Oman with NOC. contact
99454425
A well reputed building material &
contracting Company in Oman is look-
ing for staff : Project Manager (more
than 10 yrs experience), Engineer
(more than 5 years of experience),
Purchase Manager (more than 10 yrs
of experience). Contact:
99808868 Email: amtcbarka@gmail.
com
Diploma in Automobile Engineer-ing / Mechanical Engineering with 10 years of relevant experi-
ence preferably Gulf returned.
Only preferable for possessing
NOC / Release letter. Candidate
should have good controlling /
leadership / good communication
skills. Interested candidates send
resume to [email protected]
Fax: 24437007
A Construction Chemicals Manu-
facturing company is looking for
Stores Cum Purchase Assistant
for Sharjah factory. Candidates
with Min. Bachelor degree with
2 years working experience with
tally knowledge can send CVs on:
An Interior fi t out company is
looking for Sales Executive with 5
years experience, diving license &
local release. contact
94619086
LABOR WANTED!Wanted experienced
masons for a reputed
construction company,
handsome package is
offered. VISA AVAILABLE
IMMIDIATELY.
Contact number:-
95739143Email :-
ENGINEER/MECHANIC.
Constructions Job’s Engineer’s ,
Diploma Engineer’s . All Kinds of
Constructions staff required. tow-
[email protected] , Offi ce Tel NO.
24548382
Decoration Company looking for
Interior Design Engineer with
experience in 3D and Supervision.
Send your CV with the design
which you have done and after the
implementation. Email: alrih16@
hotmail.com
Indian male good experienced in
Accounts, ERP Tally 9 & Admin in
India & Oman, presently on visit
visa, looking for suitable placement.
Contact 94834687
Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in com-
merce, overall 5 yrs exp in accounts/
fi nance fi eld. On visit visa. Immedi-
ately available. CONTACT 92836216 /
28/male/MBA - fi nance/B.Com -
Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/
India experience looking for a
suitable placement. #90187483
Indian male, 24 yrs, Graduated with
specialization in Accounting 2 years
experienced C.A.CPT completed.
#94628086 / 97315091
Indian male 29 M.Com, MBA,
SAP B1, Tally, MS Offi ce, Sage 5
years experience in Oman, India
currently working in Oman, NOC
available. Contact: 92840519
Female ACCA affi liate B.Com fresher
with Oman driving license seeks
placement in auditing / accounts
and fi nance. #92264638 / 93108343
Email: [email protected]
Indian female 32, MBA Finance, 7
yrs of experience in one of the lead-
ing bank in India in Treasury(in FX,
derivatives and money market), Risk
and Asset Liability Management ,
with valid Oman D/L seeking suit-
able placement contact 92206513
Post Graduate with experience in
accounts Upto Finalization, Valid
GCC Driving License, Immediate
Joining Possible. Mob.92432748
Male/25-ACCA & B.com fi nalist,
advance diploma in accounting
with 5 years experience in audit and
accounts. Good command in Tally,
peach tree and SAP, looking for suit-
able placement. #97190575,email
Indian male:25 Yrs. MBA HR ,BBA
with 6 Months Exp seeking for suit-
able placement. Now on visit visa
Contact 90653362
Accounting fi xed asset inventory
reconciliation software installation
support service. Contact: 97703143
24 years, male Indian MBA com-
pleted seeking job opportunities for
suitable placement. #95061789
A Leading chain of International Franchise Restaurant Requires:Operation Manager: An Operations Manager will
oversee all aspects of operations including but not
limited to managing, staffing, planning, budgeting,
procuring & training, responsible for revenue,
profitability & maintaining quality goals laid down by
the company.
Accountant cum Admin: A qualified accountant has
experience in accounts, cost controls, inventory,
procurement & finance upto finalization and general
administrations. Excellent knowledge of Tally ERP-9.
Store Keeper: Store keeper keeps track of food stock,
food rotation & ingredients checklist with expiry
monitoring, follow up with suppliers for supply,
accounting knowledge will be an added advantage.
All positions require 5 to 7 years of experience in F& B,
has valid Oman D/L, good ERP knowledge, MS Office,
good communication skills & transferable visa are
mandatory.
To apply, please send your CV to email – [email protected]
Clinic Manager / Clinic Administrator needed
immediate vacancy- Well experienced
- Speaks and writes English &
Arabic
- Likes to work in a team
- Respectful, caring & friendly
- Takes criticism well
- Has good professional attitude
Please send CV to: [email protected]
CANADIAN CO.- FREE CONSULTANCYFOR LEGAL JOB
- For Hotel Staff, Construction Staff, Medical, Gas
& Oil Staff.
- Free recruitment - free tickets, accommodation,
work visa, contract for 2 (two) years.
Contact : 93392630 Send CV on
MANAGER
Required an experienced Store
keeper for a leading building ma-
terial trading & fabrication com-
pany in Ghala. Send CV to Email:
Wanted a Salesman & Sales lady
for a new lifestyle store opening
shortly in MGM mall. Send CV :
Required Sales Executive : 2-3
years of outdoor sales experience
in spare part., Indian, Male 25 to
35 year age. Diploma holder in any
discipline “ mechanical engineer
preferred”. Email:
mohammad.jwabreh@bearingcitysc.
com Tel: 24509477 Fax: 24509312
Proactive Sales & Marketing pro-
fessionals with Oman D/L, own car
required for leading IT & Media So-
lutions enterprise. Fresh MBAs also
can apply: [email protected]
Urgent required Salesman with
minimum 2 years of experience in
Sales & marketing for gift articles
shop. Contact: 96917952 Email:
Urgently Required a Self motivated
sales person for a leading Printing
& advertisement Co. Minimum 5 Yrs
exp with valid Omani/GCC Driv-
ing License. Contact: 99412020,
95728453, Email:
A reputed organization requires an
experienced expatriate lady Sales
Executive with valid Oman D/L for
marketing luxury products. Contact:
24212307 or send CV with a current
passport size photo to Email: awadi-
[email protected] Note: Only
candidates who have NOC can apply.
Required Salesman, tailor and barber.
Contact: 91114884
Urgent required Salesman with
minimum 3 years of experience in
building materials (tiles & sanitary
wares) with valid GCC license.
#96917952, swapneelbhatt@
gmail.com
Urgent required Salesman with
minimum 3 years of experience
in printing line with valid GCC
license. Contact: 96917952 Email:
Required Sales and Marketing
Manager must possess excellent
communication skills. Fluent Eng-
lish speaking, Arabic speaking is
preferred. Minimum of 2 years of
professional experience. Candi-
dates are requested to send their
CVS to [email protected]
A leading company in the sale of
heavy machines in the Sultanate of
Oman looking for job promoter com-
mercial and salesperson to conduction.
Send your CV to Email: 184059738@
qq.com #+968 96329918
SKILLED LABOUR
Electrician cum Plumber, Maintenance Supervisor with
D/L, Building Material Salesman,
C.C.T.V Technician. #99383044.
E mail: [email protected]
IT
Required for a software develop-
ment fi rm (1) Software Developers
- experience in ASP. NET and / or VB.
NET (2) Software Support Executive
- experience in software / hardware,
support knowledge of ASP. Net will
be an advantage. Email: CV to soft-
Indian Female recently pass out
BBA+MBA (Dual degree) Inter-
national Business and Finance,
looking for suitable opportunities,
presently in Muscat on family Visa.
Contact no. +968-95907828. Email
Id:
Male 36 MBA 7 yrs GCC exp.
Quickbooks tally ERP, looking for
accounts and admin post. Valid
driving license. Contact 96763275/
91992367 [email protected]
Asst. Finance Manager (Indian male)
MBA Finance, CIMA with 9 yrs experi-
ence, 6 yrs Oman experience. Seeks
placement with NOC. call:97694976
Mail:muhammedsadikmba@gmail.
com
Indian female,26 MA Econom-
ics on family visa seeking suitable
position in Accounts/Finance, HR/
Admin Contact: 91473174
Indian male 27, MBA, B. Com
with 6 years experience in Finance
and Accounting upto fi nalization
seeking suitable position. Contact
98035831
Data entry, MS Word, Excel, Ac-
counting Installing software and
windows, also know repairing sys-
tem 1 year and 6 months work in
sports in Pakistan language, Urdu,
English, Spanish, bachelor of arts
BA. Contact 94879732
10 yrs of Oman experience capable
of handling large accounts, looking
for suitable placement in senior
sales / business development posi-
tion. Contact : 98987654
Accountant available with NOC, 7
years experience in Oman. Ready
to join immediately. #98263394
Male Accountant M.Com Accounts
& fi nance, 3 yrs exp in accounts
looking for suitable job on visit visa.
Contact: 94648575
Fresher 24, ACCA Affi liate, Ad-
vanced diploma in Accounting
and Business seeking suitable
placement in Accounts, Finance or
Audit with Oman driving license.
#- 92430152
Email - [email protected]
Indian CA fi nalist, 7 yrs exp
having driving license with visa
looking for fi nance / accounts posi-
tion Email: [email protected],
98097009
B.Com Graduate, Indian male 24
yrs, 3 yrs exp in Oman looking for
Accounting, Sales, suitable jobs.
NOC Available. Contact:90615814.
Mail : [email protected]
Indian male 34 Yrs, Dual MBA
Finance and marketing with IT
skills, 7+ yrs of experience,
Looking for suitable placement.
contact 94879615,Email-
ACCA member with 6 yrs of expe-
rience in Oman looking for a suit-
able job in fi nance. #99284193
ADMIN
Indian male with 26 yrs exp
1.5 yrs in Oman in HR / Offi ce /
Administration/ Sales/ seeking
for suitable placement. contact
: 93112346, Email: sibyam-
Teacher female 27 yrs, MCA 5 yrs
experience in teaching in India cur-
rently on visit visa seeking for a suit-
able placement. Contact: 96709509
Email: [email protected]
Filipino HRD especialist / material
controller supervisor with 18 yrs
experience looking for suitable job
in Oman. Contact: (+968) 98037142
/ (+968) 92659817
Omani National looking for a suit-
able placement in Sales or Adminis-
tration. Contact: 94700691
Male BBA 25 administration of-
fi cer, accounts, purchaser with valid
NOC. Contact 91329571
Indian male 26 yrs MCA, 2 yrs ex-
perienced in System Admin & data
base controller. Contact: 92835125
Indian Male – MBA (HR) & En-
gineering graduation with total 9
years of experience in HR & Admin
( 3 yrs of Oman Exp.) along with
hands on experience in technical
bid submission for all Government
& PDO tenders ready to join im-
mediately with NOC. #@ 91240251/
Email; [email protected]
Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+
experience in Administration/HR,
Customer Support, Offi ce Coordina-
tor with good Computer skill, Now
on Visit Visa,looking for suitable
position. Contact: 90196235
Young Omani male have experi-
ence 12 years as P.R.O, CLERK
Helper Supervisor Admin Supervi-
sor, H.R Manager have diploma in
H.S.E, IT and P.D.O license, looking
for H.R position or P.R.O part time
or full time. Contact: 95933288
B.Com 3 years business process
outsourcing. Contact: 94657273
Indian, 26 yrs , female , 5 yrs exp
in HR/ Admin with valid Oman
D/L seeking suitable placement.
Contact: 98236033
Indian male, MBA with 3 years
GCC experience seeks job in Muscat.
Posses Valid Oman D/L. Currently
under visit visa and can join imme-
diately. E mail : [email protected]
contact: 00968 98896847
Filipino male with 13 years HR and
Administration managerial experi-
ence. MBA & CIPD holder. Currently
looking for job in Oman. Interested
employer Contact - 97728418.
Required Temporary
Instructorfor summer camp
For further details kindly contact Mr.babu 99380374
or fax 24593277
Urgently requiredA leading Electro
Mechanical & Civil
Contracting Company in
Oman urgently required
an Assistant General
Manager with minimum
8 to 10 years experience.
Send CV : [email protected]
Following staff required Immediately at various location around Muscat to be based at site
NOC REQUIRED
Interested Candidate may forward their updated CV to – [email protected] /
[email protected] call # +971566699815 / +96895323264
Send your CV before 01st April, 2016
Indian male 28 yrs MBA fi nance/
marketing and graduate in com-
puter experience 3 yrs seeking
suitable job, now family visit visa.
Contact: 93195378
Email: [email protected]
An Excellent Grade Contracting Company has the following positions.
1. Mechanical Draughtsman with MEP 5 yrs min. Exp.
2. Electrical Draughtsman with MEP 5 yrs min. Exp.
3. MEP Site engineer (Electrical) min. 3 – 5 yrs exp.
4. MEP Site engineer (plumbing) min. 3 – 5 yrs exp.
5. HVAC Senior engineer with 5 – 10 yrs exp. in chiller
execution.
6. Senior MEP engineer min. 10 yrs exp.
7. HVAC design engineer 5 yrs exp.
8. Senior civil engineer min. 10 yrs exp. in building
construction. GCC experience mandatory.
Kindly forward your CV to the email : [email protected]
MISCELLANEOUS
Required candidates for following
posts: Accountant, Storekeeper, Foreman Building Maintenance, Van-salesman (water), Helpers. Can-
didates with Omani driving license
preferred. #99273774/99202278
Babylon Medical Services L.L.C, a leading medical services company
in Oman is looking for the following staff for its newly opening branch
1. Gynecologist 2. Pediatrician3. Physician 4. Dentist5. General Practitioners 6. Female Nurse7. Male Nurse 8. X Ray Technician9. Lab Technician 10. Pharmacist11. Insurance Coordinator 12. Accountant
Interested candidates kindly send CV to [email protected],
[email protected], Fax: 24486147
DAILY GUIDET H U R S D AY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6 D5
SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED
DRIVER
ENGG. / TECH./MECH.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERIndian male 30 years, having 5 years
of experience in industrial automation and utility
maintenance in India (MRF Tyres), holding valid Oman D/L.
Contact - 92789995Email: [email protected]
IT
Indian History graduate with diploma in Safety with
valid Oman Driving licence seeks suitable placement.
Contact-93361624, [email protected]
Indian male, MCA (Post Graduate) fresher seeking
suitable placement
anywhere in Oman, now on
visit visa.
Contact 92319677, Email :
Electrical Engineer, 7 years exp,
NOC, GCC driving license looking
for suitable jobs in MEP services,
O & M of high voltage systems,
FMS. Contact: 96137008
Civil Engineer 6 years experi-
ence, 4 years in Oman, with driving
license available. Contact 92553263
Electrical Engineer, 8 years ex-
perience GCC with driving license,
seeking jobs, can join immediately,
have knowledge of all kind of MEP
projects. Contact 96535204
Indian female Quantity Surveyor
Civil 11 years experience, local
release available NOC. #95719108
Email: [email protected]
Syrian Civil Engineer Graduate
2012 with Oman experience with
license. Contact : 92967785
16 years exp Engg document con-
troller, material controller HR related
job with D/L. Contact: 96028635 /
92386043
An Electrical engineer with 4+
yrs of experience in Electrical
network (MT, LT) with professional
computer skills seeking for work.
Contact: 99841736 / 93955381/
+149922698343 Email: e.kmmh@
hotmail.com
Sudanese Mechanical Engineer 2
years experience, fi re fi ghting HVAC
on visiting visa. Contact : 95630047
Electrical Engineer fresh Gradu-
ate NOC available, can speak Arabic
& English with driving license. #:
94879092
Mechanical Engineer 7 years
experience and 4 years experience
in pipeline projects. NOC available.
Contact: 91117089
Electrical Engineer 4.5 years expe-
rience sub stations, water projects,
oil & gas, fl uency in Arabic & English
with driving license. #: 99525856
Civil Engineer male 26 years, expe-
rience 3 years. Contact: 96319928
Electrical & electronics Engr,
knows autocad & revit. PH:93837973
Indian B.E Civil Engineer, 25
years experience in Gulf looking for
a suitable job. N.O.C & driving license
available. Contact: 94867039
Site Engineer Education BSc Civil
Engineer experience 1 year AutoCAD
primavera P8.1, MS Excel Google
sketch up can use having Engr visa
to Oman having 2 yrs validity.
Contact : 94561195
BE Mechanical & Diploma with 4
yrs experience in India looking for
suitable job. Contact 90542737
Indian female, 25 yrs M.Tech Struc-
tural Engineer 3 yrs experienced in
Analysis design & RCC structures
seeking for suitable placement. #
97163040 / 96357196
Job Site Supervisor 11 yrs experi-
ence 7 years of Oman Education
Diploma in Civil Engineering driving
license of Oman (LTV) Oman experi-
ence building and road structure.
Contact : 96972527
Indian male (23), completed B.E
Electrical and Electronics Engineer-
ing have no experience and studied
MEP, E-CAD AutoCAD P6 now on
family visa looking for a desirable
job. Contact: 98209070 Email:
BE Mechanical Engineer having 6
years exp in piping and structural
work in India and Oman. Release
available. Contact: 96115463 Email:
Sudanese Civil Engineer holding
bachelor with 2 years of experience
in Oman have valid driving license
and residency with NOC looking for
job. Contact: 94393880
Associate Engineer with 5 years on
EHT, HT, LT underground cable test-
ing, good communication skills, NOC
available. Contact: 92342124
A Young Mechanical Engineer with
PGDM in Marketing and Operations
(Rajagiri Business School) looking for
suitable job placement in a reputed
company, currently working in a
startup (food- tech industry in India)
handing diverse roles of the business
(visit visa). Contact 96961635 Email:
Indian male M.SC in Structural
Engineering (U.K) B.Tech in Civil
Engineering (India), currently in
Oman on visit looking for a suitable
job. Contact : 93699710 Email:
Indian male, 29 yrs, B.Tech (EEE)
with 5+ yrs of experience from reput-
ed fi rms in the fi eld of Electrical Site
Execution & Project Coordination in
HL, LT for various EPC Projects, now
on visit, seeks suitable placement in
related industries.#92310762, email
B.Tech Mechanical Engineer, on
visit visa looking for job, who has
done certifi cation courses in quality
control, basic pipeline engineering,
ASNT NDT level II, also good knowl-
edge in HVAC.Contact:94743373
email:[email protected]
Engineer with 5 years technical
sales experience among leading
brands in Oman construction market
D/L. Contact : 93985140
Male QC Inspector Mechanical,
NDT 20 years experience valid
Oman D/L, NOC available. #91001104
B.Sc Civil Engineer 27 yrs Oman
exp as project manager, struc-
tural engineer looking for suitable
placement. NOC/local transfer
available. Contact: 99349578.
Email:[email protected]
Pakistani male, 2.5 yrs experience in
AutoCAD Electrical design, estima-
tion, installation commissioning,
operation maintenance of switchgear
panels MV, LT, MCC, HVAC, Gen Set,
fi re alarm panels, available on visit
visa before 2nd April 2016 looking for
suitable placement. #92012760, Email
Indian male, 27 yrs, Electronics
Engineer (B.Tech) & MBA, Project
Management with 5 years experi-
ence in electronic security system,
optical fi ber, project planning instal-
lation. Contact 94819139,
B.Sc in Civil Engineer having 10
yrs experience in structural designer
in RCC structure & steel structure in
Dubai having Municipality approval
& Dubai driving license looking for
suitable position. Email :
ndian male 35yrs BE - Engg 15 yrs
exp in UAE Site Manager looking
for job. Contact 95802614, Email :
Pakistani male Diploma Civil Engi-
neer 4yrs exp in Oman bulling &
mega projects, valid license Oman.
contact:98921022
BE CS, 23 yrs male, Indian looking
for suitable job. Contact 90658834
Male Dip.Civil Engineer, having 20 yrs
exp (building & road) looking for suit-
able job. Contact: 94720782
Network Engineer CCNA-MCSA
exp computer science with NOC.
Contact : 92346191
Procurement Engineer (27 years
single male with Oman Driving
License) having 7 years experience
(UAE 2, Oman 3) with expertise in
MEP, Water, Electromechanical,
Instrumentation seeking suitable
placements. Contact 95852033,
mail: [email protected]
Sr. Electrical Engineer with17+ yrs
of exceptional exp in spear head-
ing strategic planning and project
management initiatives & execut-
ing various high rise residential
& commercial building as well as
roads and highway project with
profi ciency in installation, seeking
a challenging position in a dynamic
organization. contact 96570891
Male, NDT, QA/QC Supervision
Mechanical 10 yrs experience
seeks suitable placement.
Contact 96954202, Email :
Driver light vehicle from Bangla-
deshi 5 years experience in Oman,
24 years, Omani driving license
looking for job. Contact: 98591812
Family driver available. Contac:
92943094
Light duty driver seeks job. Con-
tact: 94182497
Looking job for light driver. Con-
tact: 94435912 / 94802988
Pakistani male light vehicle driver
with 5 years experience looking
for job. Contact: 92171166
Looking for light driver. #99753474
Light car driving. contactc
99578213
Looking for light driving job 2
years exp. Contact: 91625977
Driver. Contact : 94087276
Pakistani male light Vehicle Driver
with car looking for job. contact
99630504
Pakistani male light vehicle driver
looking for job. Contact: 99521033
Sudanese Network Engineer hold-
ing IT Bachelor with 1 year experi-
ence CCNA, CCNP, MCSA certifi ed
have valid driving license. contact
92394485
Male, 31 years, M.I.T, CCNA, 9
years exp in Qatar as assistant IT
manager, network administrator,
server management and knowl-
edge of developing website. Qatar
D/L and available in Oman on visit
visa. Contact:00968-98179462.
0097477237607, Email:
INDIAN FEMALE COMPLETED
M.C.A seeking for suitable jobs. Con-
tact: 91409481 / 97308719
DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN
DOMESTIC HELP
Offi ce cum shop cleaner avail-
able on contract basis. Contact:
94262954
3D & Multimedia Designer look-
ing for job, currently using family
visa. Contact : 95844940 Email:
Filipino Senior Revit/AutoCAD
Draftsman with 20 years profes-
sional experience is looking for
suitable job in Oman. Please contact
96489798, (+974) 66653780.
AutoCAD Civil Draughtsman look-
ing for job (12 yrs Oman experi-
ence). Contact: 99830785
2D autocad Drafting (free lancer /
part time) arch, MEP, Shopdrawing.
Contact : 97103168
CAD Technician Looking for Job
Diploma holder. experience: 5.5
oman+Total12 years. #96534071
Revit, Autocad D/man, expected
salary 200 OMR PH :92279784
Interior Designer Seeking suit-
able job. On visit visa in Oman.
Contact - 92166130
Civil Engineer, 6 yrs experience
with Omani driving license, local
release available. Contact: 91693008
Civil Engineer with 9 years experi-
ence 7 years in Gulf with oil and
gas fi eld experience valid Oman
D/L. NOC available seeks suitable
placement. Contact: 91195257 Email:
Indian male, Post Graduate (Instru-
mentation) seeks suitable place-
ment. Contact 0091 – 9633718099/
Email : [email protected]
An Iraqi civil with more than 30
years experience in (Iraq and G.C.C)
looking for a job, (N.O.C) available.
Contact: 96561306
Email: [email protected]
Civil Engineer 11 yrs exp in con-
struction fi eld having Oman driving
license & NOC. Contact – 94194399 /
Engineer has 10 years local &
international experience in ready
mix concrete also in Oil & Gas fi eld
also in marketing & sales fi eld ,
has Omani driving license. contact
92534098
EDUCATION/TRAINING
Female B. Ed English teacher, 7 yrs
exp seeking suitable placement. Con-
tact : 99739415 / 92091528
BA in English, BCA exp. 3 yrs
including Oman, having valid Oman
driving license. Contact 96330962,
Indian female 29 yrs MSc, MED sci-
ence on family visa 2 yrs experience
in teaching fi eld looking for a suit-
able placement. Contact : 93717403
Email: [email protected]
An experienced Chartered Accountant
with over 25 years in varied
industries, presently working
with a reputed group in Muscat,
looking out for a suitable change.
96491030
ENGG. / TECH./MECH.
Indian male, Mechanical
Engineer having 1year experi-
ence, on visit visa looking for
suitable job. Contact:97416564,
Email:[email protected]
Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp
seeks suitable position ina reputed
company. NOC available. #96789711
Civil Engineer 8 years experience
in Oman as a project engineer for
governmental & private projects.
Contact – 90164912
Civil Engineer 8 years experience
Structural buildings marine. Avail-
able NOC release. Contact: 92451323.
Email: [email protected]
Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian
male 24 years with 1+years Indian
experience,(Certifi ed in Staad Pro/
Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad).Look-
ing for a Suitable position. Avail-
able In Sultanate of Oman (Muscat)
on Visit Visa.
Contact: 92835952. E-mail:
Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in
designing, assembling, commis-
sioning execution etc having valid
GCC license too looking for a suit-
able. Contact: 00968-98052942
Email: [email protected]
HSE Engineer (B.E Mech+Diploma
Safety+NEBOSH+OSHA) over
10yrs. Exp, (Visa Release Letter
(NOC) available), seeking suit-
able placement, Mob:97061817,
Email:[email protected]
MANAGER
Qualifi ed and experienced Indian
female Manager, 28 yrs with 12
years experience in B.P.O Insurance
and banking looking for a suitable
placement. Contact : 95166496
Male Manager Resource plan-
ning Oman experience 11 years in
Purchase Accounts, HR local release
available. Contact: 98895039 Email:
Egyptian male 36 years Ware-
house Manager, 7 years in Sultanate
of Oman, 1 year in UAE, and 3 years
in Egypt. Contact: +968 97200468
Email: ayman_mano1979@yahoo.
com
General/Divisional Manager MEP
& Civil, MBA Operation, BE Electri-
cal, 10 years experience in Oman &
10 years in India. Valid DL, release
available. GSM. 92447102
Indian MBA having 12 years
experience looking for job Property
Manager with Oman driving license,
NOC available. Contact : 93714141
Purchase/Planning & Logistics Manager MBA (Finance), 14yrs.
Oman Exp. with D/L, NOC avail-
able, looking for suitable posi-
tion.#93826090, jskanchan01@
gmail.com
Building Site Supervisor with
Oman D/L working in Oman since
2010 looking for suitable place-
ment. Contact: 91507828
15 years Oman experienced
procurement manager with good
knowledge of material and market.
Contact 96549399
Operations & Accounts Manager
Indian 18 years experience in
Oman fi nance, purchase, sales, HR,
Admin looking for Senior position.
Contact : 99044724
Production Manager 9 years
experience in Oman manufacture
and development factories .GRB.
GRC. GRG rubber molds and false
ceilings, fi berglass and executive
at site emadadly2000@yahoo.
com 96149081
MEDICAL
5 years of Experience in Digi-
tal Sales/Research Engines and
Patient Experience Executive at
Reliance Hospitals India, Pvt. Ltd.
Looking for any suitable vacancy,
currently on a visit . #90503494
email : [email protected]
Indian female (MSC – Microbiolo-
gist) seeking suitable job. Contact:
96791162 / 90618567
Indian female dentist with MOH
license having 3 years experi-
ence seeking immediate place-
ment.NOC available Contact:
96678476/90343750, Email:
Indian Bsc Female Nurse with
6.5 years exp, 4 years in KSA.
Passed Oman Pro Metric with 69%,
completed data fl ow. Presently
in Muscat in visit visa looking
for a suitable placement. Contact
94744900, 94742834,
SALES / MARKETING
SALES / MARKETING
10 yrs exp in procurement, ten-
ders, importing, marketing and
sales, organizing events. Have car
NOC available. #94123939
Young Indian male, 24 yrs, hav-
ing 03 yrs marketing experience
in Oman, looking for suitable
placement. Holding valid D/L. NOC
available. Contact: 93172979
Indian male Graduated in Busi-
ness Management having 4 yrs
exp in marketing & trading, dealt
with international companies and
product also having good knowl-
edge in logistic & Admin looking
forward to join immediately, hav-
ing GCC driving license and car
NOC available. Contact : 93639385
Email: [email protected]
Indian male, 5 yrs exp in market-
ing & trading (Oman), dealt with
International companies & product
also having good knowledge in
logistic and Admin with D/L & car,
NOC available. Contact 93639385
Email: [email protected]
Male, 26 yrs, B.Com with Valid GCC
D/L, 5 years Experience in Sales,
Good(Arabic/English) on Visit Visa
96970027
Indian male 40 yrs SSLC, PDC knows
MS Offi ce & Tally 1 year Oman experi-
ence in Accounts & 2 yrs marketing
experience valid Oman D.L. NOC
available seeks suitable placements in
marketing. #92409891 Email: dano-
Indian male 45 years with 10
years software IT Marketing GCC
experience Oman license, NOC
visa transfer facility require urgent
placement. Contact: 91719892 E
mail: [email protected]
Indian male, looking for sales &
marketing job with Qatar experi-
ence & driving license. Contact
0091 8297578893, Email :
M.B.A (Marketing) With experi-
ence in FMCG & Other Sales, Valid
GCC Driving License. Immediate
Joining Possible Mob.92432748
Indian male 33 yrs, 11 yrs exp
of Oman in Sales and hospital-
ity looking for suitable with NOC.
Contact: 91607889
MBA, Executive Post, Omani Driv-
ing Licence,14 years Experience
in Multinational Groups in Sales &
Marketing. M.Z. 91685048
Indian male 30 years, Gulf exp.
GCC license looking for job sales
Administration. contact 94423288
Email: ferozhussain70007@gmail.
com
SECRETARIAL & OFFICE
Indian Male more than 10 years gulf
experience in Offi ce / Sales Coordina-
tor, Admin, Secretarial and purchase
with good computer skills. Holding
Oman Driving license. Looking for
suitable placement. #99709336
Lady Secretary / Sales Co-coordi-
nator 12 years experience in Oman
in reputed companies, seek imme-
diate Employment. Call: 95244761
TOURS & TRAVEL
Indian female BA IATA, 7 yrs exp
in travel industry knows SABRE
AMADEUS GALILEO on family visa
seeks opportunity in Oman. Contact
93531170. E mail:
Filipina lady having exp in
ticketing and preservation, call
center, secretarial and real estate
is now looking for job please
call.94054080
Indian male, 45 yrs, 15 years
Saudi experience, 1 year Qatar ex-
perience as driver / salesman with
valid Qatar D/ License, currently
in Oman on visit visa, looking
for suitable placement. Contact :
90653714 / 99881264
B.Com, specialized in market-
ing, SAP - FICO, Tally ERP 9 2 yrs
exp in sales and accounting ph :
90226336
Indian male having 10 years of
exp in sales & customer service
also worked as IT Technician
CCNA Certifi ed. Graduate seeks
suitable placement. #92490127
Indian male MBA having 12 years
of Sales experience in Oman
seeking suitable position, good in
Arabic and having valid D/L. NOC
can be obtained (as per new rule).
Contact : 98908634
Pakistani male, fresh Graduate
& Diploma in hotel management
& tourism, computer literate,
interested in Sales & Marketing,
Accounts, available on permanent
visa, seeks placement with visa.
NOC available. Contact 91439870,
Email : [email protected]
MISCELLANEOUS
Indian Female on a visit visa
having master degree seeking
suitable placement in any fi eld, 1
,5 year experience in HR .Contact :
+968 91467576.
MBA Marketing, 10 years in mar-
keting, consulting strategy, cor-
porate communications, content
management, UX , Product launch,
digital marketing. Indian female
on visit. Contact : 95431357
Indian 32 years passed M.A. Eng-
lish , M.Sc Psychology and B.Ed in
English having 4 years experience
in teaching searching suitable job.
Contact: 99869535 Email: sahad-
Indian male,16 years Oil & Gas
experience ( Down Hole Tools ),
3 years in Oman, Dip. Mechanical
Engineer, Having D/L and NOC.
Email – [email protected], Mob :
965 956 18.
Bangladeshi Male, University
MA, Working as Store In-charge
cum Logistic Manager in
Muscat; searching better job.
Phone:91997605. email: moham-
8 plus years of experience in
Events /Marketing Communica-
tion /conferences / Trainings /
Media representation. Having UAE
D/L. seeking Suitable Placement:
Contact: 95792820. suheal.ma@
outlook.com
Physiotherapist with MOH license
looking for suitable placement.
Contact: 92617235
Software Engineer Indian, 31 yrs,
8.5 years experience (IBM, Em-
phasis, cognizant), Oman driving
license looking suitable place-
ment. Contact: 93221395
Indian male, 19 years Oman
exp in purchase, Material con-
trol in building construction
& factory production have
good computer skills & D/L &
with NOC, looking for suitable
placement. #99008101 Email:
Engg/ Tech/ Mech, ME. Me-
chanical Engineer Indian male,
24 years looking for suitable job,
area of interest Unconventional
machining process, transmission
system used in automobile
quality control. Contact:
90444038 / 96736912,
Indian Male,Kerala,B.COM & B.PE
having 13Years of Physical Educa-
tion Teacher experience. Currently
on visit visa Looking for a suitable
job. Contact:- 968 94106834.
email:-akhilrajkj@
gmail.com.
DAILY GUIDED6 T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
Email: [email protected] classifi [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624
SITUATION WANTEDEDUCATION/CLASSES/COMPUTER/WEBSITE
Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English
class for Malayalam Speakers in Azaiba and Ruwi
• Learn in two months• Satisfaction guaranteed
Tel: 95244310
Karate and self defense classes at Azaiba 18 Nov Street. RO 10 per month
twice a week Monday and Tuesday 6. 30 TO 7. 30. PM.
CONTACT 98294551
Any time available transportation solution for house offi ce shifting, TV
fi xing, carpenter all type of maintenance.#Indian person : 95194801 /
96594592 Whatsapp
WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at
rock bottom price. Contact: http//webviewoman
SITUATION WANTEDSIT. WANTED
SITUATION WANTEDSIT. WANTED
SITUATION WANT-SIT. WANTED
SITUATION WANTEDSERVICES
SERVICESWe Provide Cleaners,
Offi ce boys, Cleaning Contracts, General cleaning etc.
Al Mudakhir Nati onal Est. LLC Contact : 94277020
Window & split unit A.C servicing &
repairing. Contact: 99557080
Split & window unit A.C servicing &
maintenance. Contact: 96236476
Split & widow unit A.C servicing &
maintenance.contact 93769089 /
95323517
Split & window A/c servicing &
maintenance. contact 93769089 /
95323517
GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing,
Contact 99314807/24792998
A/C maintenance & servicing,
fridge, washing machine & dish
washer repairing, painting & clean-
ing services, electrical & plumbing.
#99447257 / 97014234 / 24504281
A/C Technician, cold store, freez-
er, chiller all kinds of A/C & re-
frigeration installation & service.
Contact: 92279370 / 92459357
Water proofi ng ABUQABAS-
Contact 99320217/24788722
House shifting & transporting.
Contact 92490422
Pest control treatments, Ocean center LLC CONTACT
99344723
MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of
your marble. contact 24793614/
99314807
House shifting packing.
Contact: 99657644 / 98518013
Pest control & Building cleaning all kinds of pest control building. Cleaning ti les /
Marble polishing monthly/ Yearly contracts available.
Contact: 98814733 /98814740 Al Husn Cleaning L.L.C
House shifting. Contact:
99708138
Marble crystallization & grinding, cleaning & carpet shampoo-
ing. Ocean center LLC.contact
99344723
Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont
Maintenance services electric,
plumbing and A/C. Contact:
96524904 /94285064
Split A/C servicing R.O 10 only.
Contact: 94217681 / 99210141
Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile
polishing, pest control & anti-ter-
mite treatment, general cleaning
painting,Plumbing, Electrical,
shifting. Contact Mundhir
Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C.
Contact: 24810137, 99450130
Fixed asset verifi cation inventory
control software installation sup-
port services. Contact:
97703143
Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles
polishing, carpet shampooing,
maintenance. Contact ABU QA-
BAS- 99320217 /24788722
Marble crystallization & grind-ing, Ocean center LLC contact
99344723
MISCELLANEOUS
MISCELLANEOUS
25 year old male B.Com and
insurance graduate with 6 year
experience looking for an opening
in accounts, fi nance or operations
related only. Driving license and
NOC available. Contact-lilommca@
gmail.com and 95236312.
14 year experience in 5 star hotel
as sales manager in UAE & INDIA
on tourist visa looking for suitable
opportunity please contact mobile
# 91305978
Admin Assistant. Having 5 years
experience in admin department
in reputed companies, presently
working in Muscat (NOC Avail-
able). GSM. 00968-98404122,
Email - panduru.jeevankumar@
gmail.com
BS in Electrical Engineering, Experience: 5 years(Power Plants).
Contact: 92475206
Email: [email protected]
Filipino Male, 24 Years Old..look-
ing for job, have experience in
Cargo & Logistics/ Rent a Car/ Real
Estate/ Finance & Accounts/cus-
tomer service and as Travel Agent.
Hard working and with good com-
puter and communication skills.
GSM: 95370052
Indian Female on a visit visa hav-
ing master degree seeking suitable
placement in any fi eld, 1 and half
year experience in HR .Contact :
+968 91467576
.
Experienced B.Com graduate +
IATA Diploma holder looking for
Accounts/Admin/Travels related
job. Mob. 91142997. NOC available.
Indian Female, 24 MA Eng. Litr
with 2 yrs experience in teach-
ing & 14 months in Administra-
tion cum Secretary, Currently
on visit visa, seeks suitable job.
Contact: 92613704/99260702,
Email:[email protected]
Sri Lankan Male 34 BSc. (Physics)
5 years experience as a site man-
ager and administration supervi-
sor in Oman with valid D/L looking
for a suitable position. Contact
99153061 or v.chandramohan@
yahoo.co.uk
Female Junior Architect Gradu-
ated from School of Planning &
Architecture, Vijayawada. Excel-
lence in Autocad, Sketching &
Modelling. Internship - KHAM De-
signs, Bangalore. Presently with
Atulya Architects & Associates.
Email saatvika.frozenmusic@
gmail.com #00968-94057427.
2 years experienced male seek-
ing job related to safety. M. Tech
in HSE, MSc in Environmental
Science and IOSH certifi ed. Con-
tact : 94653264
Indian male 37 YEARS, BSC
COMPUTER SCIENCE having
More than 8yrs of experience
with well exposure in PDO,
DALEEL & OXY as IT SUPPORT /
DESKTOP SUPPORT ENGINEER.
Seeking suitable placement. Con-
tact [email protected] /
968-99758320
Indian Female Electronics Sys-
tem Eng. UK Graduate. Program-
mer Micro Controller Robot, Eng.
Analysis, Instrumentation &
Control, Eng. Projects, Integrated
Circuit Eng., Electrical and Fluid
Drives, Analogue Electronics,
Wireless Systems. Seeking suit-
able post. Contact: 97848075,
6 YEARS EXPERIENCE HR/Fi-
nance Indian female[29Years]
MBA. On family visa, Seeking
suitable placement-93908191,
email:[email protected]
32year Indian Male MSC,MBA-
HR having 8yrs Exp(HR / Payroll
/ Admin) with Oman valid DL.
Seeking suitable opening in
Human Resource, Payroll &
Admin/ backend jobs. Con-
tact:00968-99322978
Sudanese male, 5 years experi-
ence in warehouse management
and logistics services#90644186
Electrical Engineer Indian male
23 yrs, 2 yrs experience HV/LV
Design experience in Oman based
projects experience in HV testing
(220/110/11kv) presently on visit
visa. Contact : 99729860 Email:
Indian female B.C.A, B.E.D, IELTS
experience in Oman teaching
primary & secondary looking for
job. Contact : 97384206 Email:
Indian female, having 10 years
experience in logistics and sales
coordination, exp in SAP, MS Offi ce
valid D/L currently on visit visa
looking for suitable placement.
Contact : 95251911
Accountant 31 years Indian male,
6 years experience in Dubai &
Bahrain with driving license good
computer skills seeking for suit-
able position. Contact : 92791218
Email: [email protected]
Sr Material controller, having
13 years experience in material
controlling in reputed companies.
Presently working in Muscat
(NOC Available). contact 00968-
92944026, Email charanjeet35@
yahoo.co.in
Indian/male (25)/ MBA/2 years
experience in channel sales and
distribution management. on visit
visa. available for immediate join-
ing. Contact: 96914068, E mail:
Indian, BE Mechanical Engi-
neering with 1 yr exp as service
Engineer, looking for suitable po-
sitions. Contact-90637918, E mail:
Senior Accountant, 5 yrs Oman,
10 yrs UAE experience in manu-
facturing & construction valid
D/L immediately available. Email:
[email protected], call:
95389018
MCA, Indian female, experience in
IT & Administration. #94133849
Email: [email protected]
Indian male with 1 yr exp looking for
job in I.T as Web developer, presently
in Muscat on visit visa. #92312978
Indian Male ,MBA Finance & Mar-
keting 28 yrs,6+ Exp, with oman
D/L & NOC, Hospital ,Pharma ,Herbal
,FMCG, F&B Markeing ,construction
A/c & sales , 93379044
HSE Engineer, Indian male, 4
plus years experience in oil & gas,
working in shclumberger Nebosh,
ISOH & NDT certifi ed, M. Tech in
HSE. [email protected]
mobile- +91 9867016808
BE Mechanical Engineering with
one year experience now on visit
visa, looking for suitable positions.
#90637918 / 99335742,email: aq-
Indian/male (25)/ MBA /2 years
experience in channel sales and
distribution management. on visit
visa. available for immediate joining.
Contact: 96914068, email: mailana-
Indian male, 8.5 yrs experience,
B.Com Graduate with GCC exp &
valid driving license looking for
better job opening in Muscat. Con-
tact: 92609935 / 94771365
DAILY GUIDET H U R S D AY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6 D7
TOURS
TOURS
RENT A CAR
RENT A CAR
25 - 50 seater bus with PDO &
BP specifi cation for monthly rent
& small car with driver. Contact
99839898
SITUATION WANTEDCARGO
Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours contact 98029602, 92808636
We arrange tours & accommodation at all the beautiful places in Oman. Contact 99839898
SITUATION WANTEDBUSINESS
ONE STOP SHOP BUSINESS SERVICES
Contact Saleh: 96723485
Public relation services (PRO), Formation new
companies, LLC companies, investor visa, business setup,
prepare business & companies accounts, legal
services, representing you and your company.
RENT A CARBest Rates for Saloon
Contact: 97869042 / 95730550
[email protected]*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done
till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability
Looking for a villa in Amerat area.
Contact :
95405033
ACC WANTED
Furnished apartment required im-
mediately for one month. Contact:
95612708
*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text,
should be done till 12.00 noon
for next day’s publication. * Subject to space
availability
Investment RequiredMinimum OMR 500,000 to transfer
5 Excavators big + 5 Tippers 2015
Astra, working on good profitable
Excavation projects. Assured
income 36 %.
98867530 / [email protected]
MANPOWER
MV SALE
Expat selling Toyota Corolla, Silver,
1.6, Automatic 2009, with new
tyres and manual window, excel-
lent condition, 110,000 KM for RO
2900. Contact – 92769735
Toyota Prado 3 nos. for sale. Con-
tact: 99454425
D8 T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
DAILY GUIDEEmail: [email protected] classifi [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624
SITUATION WANTEDDINING DELIGHTS
SITUATION WANTEDDINING DELIGHTS